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Pillars of Eternity |OT| You must gather your party before venturing forth.
- Thread starter EviLore
- Start date
I'm so in love with this game.
The writing is incredibly rich & detailed. It makes the experience have a depth & sophistication that's rare in the medium. It's been a long time since I've settled in with a game world that felt so well-conceived and lovingly crafted. Voice acting is the bomb too.
There really is something to be said for throwback game design with modern sensibilities layered on top. It's comfy and nostalgic, but not in the jarring way some titles can be like when you return many years later. The departure from modern standards (eg. isometric camera vs. full 3D camera) feels strangely refreshing as well, as no one else is really doing it in the modern era.
SoGood.gif
The writing is incredibly rich & detailed. It makes the experience have a depth & sophistication that's rare in the medium. It's been a long time since I've settled in with a game world that felt so well-conceived and lovingly crafted. Voice acting is the bomb too.
There really is something to be said for throwback game design with modern sensibilities layered on top. It's comfy and nostalgic, but not in the jarring way some titles can be like when you return many years later. The departure from modern standards (eg. isometric camera vs. full 3D camera) feels strangely refreshing as well, as no one else is really doing it in the modern era.
SoGood.gif
Blargonaut
Banned
Yep, had done this ;o Turned off v-sync, lowered/turned off everything I could in NVIDIA control panel too
I want to find a way to reduce the resolution even further, below the minimum 1280x720.
800x600 would be great.
I get the technical reason why you can't, but it was really annoying during a fight indoors where half my party and the enemies were obscured by a clickable open door, so I couldn't actually target anything in that spot (at least the foes - I could click the portraits for my guys).
Hah. Thank you, but i only take half the praise
royox
Member
I usually do that with the "ice patch" chant.
Anoregon
The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
The XP the reward almost seems overtuned. My whole party got like 2 levels after doing the first 3-4.
Regarding the Gold-named soul dudes: Yeah, I have to admit I've stopped clicking them. I am really enjoying the lore and world of the game, but sometimes I just got heads to bash and mysteries to investigate and I just aint got time for that. It's a really cool and thoughtful feature and helps flesh out the world, but it's, I dunno, more than I need?
CrichtonKicks
Member
I think it's almost always present. If you zoom in on the character their design almost always matches the story description.
I absolutely love the camping system in PoE. To me, this is the first game that has nailed the mechanic. The dungeons are epic enough that managing camp kits is needed. I have to make that decision of "everyone is down halfway on health, my wizard/priest has only half of their spell uses, left and I've got just a single camping kit left. Do I press on and hope for the best or camp now?"
Plus, limiting stash gives camping another important mechanical aspect.
It seems unclear of how much, if any, of Avellone's writing is in the final game. The last interview I saw with him he seemed to make clear that the character concepts came from him but others deserve credit for the actual writing.
Thorwaldsson
Member
Is it OK to be salty about the backer only achievement?
I'm really enjoying the game overall, but that achievement will keep me from doing any of the challenges in the game :/
Maybe I'm just being silly, but I can't really get over that fact that I will never be able to 100% this game.
I'm really enjoying the game overall, but that achievement will keep me from doing any of the challenges in the game :/
Maybe I'm just being silly, but I can't really get over that fact that I will never be able to 100% this game.
You didn't offend me, video game difficulty settings don't interact with my ego. It's more of an issue with your attitude whenever someone points out a negative.
Just curious - is there a single thing about PoE you don't like or think was implemented poorly? Or is it simply a flawless game in your view? Because every time I see you respond to criticism it's always with a tone of "you're wrong, it's perfect."
And yes, to my surprise Obsidian did accept my backstory to the weapon and helped rewrite it a bit due to my borked grammar (i bet)(Super secret hint: There are rumors that this weapon holds hidden stats not mentioned in the actual description)
That is great, now I need to hunt for the remaining 58 backer backstories of items...
Anyone has the list?
Sir Garbageman
Member
Holy shit at the Light House! Was steaming rolling encounters for the past few hours then I tried that quest...yea I will be coming back later. Damn.
A few questions:
A few questions:
- When is a good time to start tackling the Endless Dungeon? I just dinged lvl 6.
- There are no respec options / potions correct? I wasted a talent on Sagani because I misread the tooltip like an idiot. Don't want to revert to a save a few hours old so I guess I ill live with it.
- Recommended upgrades for the Stronghold?
doubleplusgood
Member
You can go quite deep into the endless pathes( guess it depends on you difficulty setting tho..) at level 6.
As for the stronghold, get the merchant at least so you can get more camping equipment for when you are doing the endless path.
I cleared the first two levels at level 5 without any particular effort. The third one made me turn back for now though. Endless Paths level 2 spoiler:
there's also a shortcut that lets you skip a few levels
Is it though? What's the strategy? It's pretty clear when it's time to break out the wizard's spells or not. The wizard sits there auto-attacking and if you bite off more than you can chew or things are going pear shaped, you break out the big guns. It's strange to me that so many defend PoE's combat as being tactical, when it hamstrings you in so many ways. Encounters are very narrow in how you can approach them.
90% of fights play out the exact same way, every single time. It's certainly not chess.
(I'm really not trying to trash the game. I like it. But the chorus of omg how does this game even exist in this thread is deafening.)
Beginning of Act 2; had to put the game on hard difficulty because every single encounter was over before it began. And so far, hard difficulty is a breeze too. Having two priests in the party is overkill; their "per encounter" abilities are invaluable. Starting to think I should have started on PotD difficulty.
Other than that, I'm having a blast. Priest of Eothas spoiler:
Other than that, I'm having a blast. Priest of Eothas spoiler:
I would have enjoyed more Priest of Eothas contextual dialogue options in Gilded Vale, but I enjoyed the ones they included tremendously. Still, chatting with Durance is painful at times, because it's pretty obvious my character wouldn't let all this Eothas trash-talk fly.
Anoregon
The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
It is a pretty silly thing to get bent out of shape over, yes.
Pragmatically, I think your character should/would.
Obviously the Waidwen sitaution is going to make a lot of people understandably unhappy with Eothas, and your char would have to be a totally blind, myopic zealot to not understand and tolerate a decent amount of distrust and outright hatred.
Prime crotch
Banned
I actually like resource management, seeing how survival horror is one of my fav genres. It's just that this particular implementation of resting, has always been more of a crutch to appease other mechanics.
I notice them, I just think they're not any good and slog the pacing.
And again, I concede that what they set out to do was a BG like game. They nail that, it's exactly like that and better.
How exactly do I recharge magic with my spell-casters?
Seems like I only get a few encounters-worth of lobbing magic before they completely dry up (options grayed out).
Do I really have to rest the whole party every time the spells get grayed out, or am I missing something really simple?
Seems like I only get a few encounters-worth of lobbing magic before they completely dry up (options grayed out).
Do I really have to rest the whole party every time the spells get grayed out, or am I missing something really simple?
Yeah they only return upon resting. You can get talents at level up that increase the count, as well they increase naturally as you level. there are also items that grant more uses as well.
Nope, that's the way - resting.
You have to be more conservative with your spellcasting and not throw them on every encounter.
I love the hard limit on resting, resting was a little bit silly in BG/BG2 and absolutely made the whole casting limit not an issue.
Cool. Thanks for the reply, as I thought I was just missing something.
Early levels seem really limited in their usage. Do you guys just use Wizards wands and such as melee weapons most of the time to conserve magic usage? I know most characters have a supplemental "per encounter" special ability, so I try to use those first, as well.
Count of Monte Sawed-Off
un33dab@dpu$$y
Yeah, I've found, at least on normal, that it's best just to give everyone except the tank ranged weapons. My party is Ranger, Fighter, Cipher, Priest, Chanter, and Wizard. Might be different with other classes though. I created a monk and rogue towards the beginning and I had been using melee for them, but they got replaced as I gained more Obsidian created character.
You should be able to make it down some levels at 6. I think I started doing it about that level. General Endless Paths spoilers nothing specific
You can pretty easily reach the bottom at the level 10. But then... well I won't go into it.
Anoregon
The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
When I am low or trying to conserve spells, my wizards tends to plink away at range with whatever wand/sceptre he has equipped, depending on the encounter. There's also a 2-per-encounter AoE, but the range on it can make it a little dicey to use effectively.
Possibly minor spoilers, but RPS has a pretty interesting article on the issues this game tackles - Science, religion and faith -http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/03/30/further-thoughts-on-pillars-of-eternity-animancy-faith/
Nothing ground breaking, but interesting points to start a discussion.
Nothing ground breaking, but interesting points to start a discussion.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
I guess I should have said I TRY to tank. Most of the time I fail at this as the monsters don't hate me enough.
Shake Appeal
Member
I kinda want to make a Wizard PC just to compare how badly Aloth is built, but I also want to make one of every kind of PC to experiment and I need to crush that urge and just continue with one save.
jim2point0
Banned
This is why I stopped reading them early on. As interesting as they may be, I'd probably care more about them if they were somehow tied to the game more. Maybe they could be used to reveal secrets in the game world, or unlock new quests.
Still, there are some nights where I might be in the mood to read these things. But last night, I was interested in making some progress into the game so I could learn if I liked my chosen class. And these little passages seemed like something I could save for later.
Anoregon
The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
I've been making pretty good use of Aloth, despite his starting stats and my own inability to choose good talents. That level 3 sicken/acid AoE spell is pretty heavy hitter for many encounters.
I'm really enjoying my chosen class (chanter), but I am already excited to start a new game as a monk, barb, or cipher.
SpiceMelange
Member
One thing you have to understand is that magic attacks aren't balanced like weapon swings. They are much much stronger. You aren't expected to make your spell caster cast a spell each round. And they won't suck at non-spellcasting, this game system makes it so anyone can dish decent damage with a decent weapon.
As soon as I nab one in this character's playthrough, I'm going to see how my Wizard handles a gun in battle. =)
Vincent Grayson
Member
Yeah, much like the stories in Lost Odyssey, they're interesting vignettes, but I really wish they had more directly to do with the game. Once I discovered that was going to be a thing my main character could do all the time, I expected it would play a role in solving quests on a pretty regular basis.
GrandHarrier
Member
I too would love a respec option. I'd rather that than restarting or finding some sort of modding tool to correct a few bad choices on talents.
Fantastapotamus
Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
It's decide time Gaf. I found all my companions, so now I have the difficult task to form my team. I don't know about you guys, but when I make a team I pretty much stick to it till the end of the game (except for maybe character specific quests), but as of now I'm not sure what to do.
So here is my plan
So who should I pick? Mind you I care more about how interesting the characters are and less about my efficiency in battle. I'm only playing on normal since I always play RPGs on normal on playthrough 1.
So here is my plan
Eder and Pellegrina are safe cause I need two melee fighters.
Aloth seems to be safe as well since I do need a spellcaster. I just got Hiravias so I can't really tell if he would be able to replace him. Maybe I keep both, especially cause I like Hiravias. He seems to be able to defend himself as well.
Durance is out. Not just because I don't use him but so I have an interesting character for my next playthrough. Kana seems okay but not that interesting? Usefull in battle though.
So it's probably between Grieving Mother and Sagani. I like GM more cause she seems more interesting but I do need another ranged character. Thinking about just giving her a bow. Not as efficient but opening with two Mind Blades (I'm a Cipher as well) is REALLY powerful.
Aloth seems to be safe as well since I do need a spellcaster. I just got Hiravias so I can't really tell if he would be able to replace him. Maybe I keep both, especially cause I like Hiravias. He seems to be able to defend himself as well.
Durance is out. Not just because I don't use him but so I have an interesting character for my next playthrough. Kana seems okay but not that interesting? Usefull in battle though.
So it's probably between Grieving Mother and Sagani. I like GM more cause she seems more interesting but I do need another ranged character. Thinking about just giving her a bow. Not as efficient but opening with two Mind Blades (I'm a Cipher as well) is REALLY powerful.
So who should I pick? Mind you I care more about how interesting the characters are and less about my efficiency in battle. I'm only playing on normal since I always play RPGs on normal on playthrough 1.
Character limitations is precisely what makes it tactical.
My wizard has some weak per encounter spells but his main utility is big AOE damage. The high DPS is limited by the number of times per day he can use it. (and i've never had to limit it to big encounters only as long as you don't go overkill on weak enemies).
If you don't like these limitations at all, you have other classes, like cyphers, that have other ways of using abilities. Drop the Wizard if you think he's shitty and choose a different party composition. That'll may make it easier to fight mobs withtout usinge recources but may make bosses harder to kill.
Of course the recource management aspect is amplified if your max numbers of rest per dungeon is 2 (and why the game is balance for higher difficulties).
Normal gives more leeway on how to use your spells since you can rest 4 times.
There's an in-game console, isn't there?
My Aloth is amazeballs but that's mainly because I have some weird bug and he now is currently sitting at 54 int and rising... but man he can AoE Debuff a room and it will last for 60+ seconds so that's nice =D
So far I'm doing pretty good on hard. Some things are too hard and I am forced to either change tactics or come back later which is really nice. It's not a cakewalk. I've even have a couple encounters where everyone dies except for Eder and Kana (since Eder can tank for days) and the two of them just plunk away at the enemies for 2-4 damage a pop lol. I put it on fast time and play with my phone until they are done.
I love the stronghold. I have no idea what my build priority should be so I've just been winging it. Done the general merchant, the inn, the west wall, the bailey and the armor/weapon merchant so far. Thinking I'll do a dungeon sooner rather than later so I can capture story guys. No idea when that starts.
I love the stronghold. I have no idea what my build priority should be so I've just been winging it. Done the general merchant, the inn, the west wall, the bailey and the armor/weapon merchant so far. Thinking I'll do a dungeon sooner rather than later so I can capture story guys. No idea when that starts.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
Enjoying this quite a bit. The only thing I'm not into is the gold-titled folks. I wouldn't call it a "misstep"- if they weren't there they'd likely just be more flavorless npcs that I wouldn't talk to anyway. But, to me, it seems from the ones I did read that these don't particularly add anything. The world building has been done in full elsewhere, and these are just elaboration.
Everywhere else, the choices seem like a wonder streamlining of the old infinity formula with an injection of the newer things that have worked. I recently tried to play BG2 and just couldn't- (tedious inventory management, graphics, not quite enough personality), but this absolves all of those qualms quite handily.
Hard is pretty comfortable for now. I can see firing this back up in a year or two for a go on Damned.
Everywhere else, the choices seem like a wonder streamlining of the old infinity formula with an injection of the newer things that have worked. I recently tried to play BG2 and just couldn't- (tedious inventory management, graphics, not quite enough personality), but this absolves all of those qualms quite handily.
Hard is pretty comfortable for now. I can see firing this back up in a year or two for a go on Damned.
CrichtonKicks
Member
I'd be leery about it breaking scripting or something else right now. I'd love a respec option as well (even if it is costly in-game) but I would rather wait until Obsidian provides it or the game is mature enough that the modder's toolset is safe to use.
There are a few types of games that I'd be wanting this option pretty badly but I think for PoE, for me, it's so much better to make irrevocable choices and then have to live with them. The combat encounters (on hard) are going to be an exercise in planning and carefully thought out strategy either way and I doubt my few bad choices in abilities and point allocation would make or break the game.
I know having the option isn't much of a big deal, but it's nice that it's not there because I have little doubt I would take advantage of it at some point and just bork my playstyle and character.
My damn main character rogue is so completely haphazardly built it actually makes the combat encounters MORE interesting :lol
I have done same once. Whole party, but Eder was dead to metric ton of spectres. 4 spectres hitting him and doing 0 damage to endurance or HP. Time to put batte to fast and go AFK for moment so it auto wins :b
Also noticed in Endless Dungeon that he can face tank even elementals and take basically 0 damage from them, even when fire ones explode at death he just laughs at them. Either I have broken the game or he is just demigod of tanks.
beat the lighthouse encounter on hard at lvl 6 on the first try with a new strategy that I dub "battle royal" (or: with a little help of my friends)
nice loot, too
nice loot, too