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[Lister]

Got to play for a little bit last night and had a lot of fun with it. What makes this feel special for me is just how much like D&D it feels, just the way characters and dialogue are presented. My friends and I just started learning to play D&D and that's making the game feel a little extra fun to me.

It did take me about an hour to get through the character creator though. So many choices! Interesting races, plenty of backgrounds. I usually agonize over choices vacillating back and forth between playing what sounds fun and what makes a strong character. I tried reading about different character builds, but wasn't sure how up to date the info was. Then some of it starts to conflict about what build works best.

Eventually i just said nuts to it all and made what sounded fun. Went with a Cipher, because it sounds pretty awesome to get inside your enemy's head, not to mention turn your teammates into a shock bomb. The other classes sound fun too and I'm glad to read that almost all of them can be viable.

Any advice on weapon choices though? My background started me off with a pike (side note, it's a pretty awesome touch that after i made a menu-based story choice to throw my weapon at an enemy, once i regain control my weapon is gone instead of magically reappearing in my hands! so i had to scavenge for new weapons). Can any class use any weapon, or do you need to use a weapon that plays off your best stats? I think mine are intelligence, then dex and might. Having two weapons sets is nice too, bow in one set and axe/shield in the other. Like i said i am very, very early on, but loving it. Music so far has been excellent! Can you zoom in any during battle? A little hard to tell what's going on when several characters are bunched up.

Any tips are welcome!

edit: just saw on the loading screen that you can indeed zoom in and out.

Weapons aren't tuned to your stats and they basiclaly come down to the type of damage they do, the amount of damage they do, and their speed/interrupt rating. Speed is pretty important, you don't want to be in situaitons where the enemy is hitting you 2,3 or more times for every one time you strike. Some abilities and magical items can improve your attack speed, and this becomes crucial for any chacrater you are equiping with high damage, low speed weapons.

I personally like to equip some type of firearm on most of my party, and open up combat firing at the closest enemy in range, then have everyone swap out to their primary weapons. Firearms are great for that opening volley, as they are armor piercieng and high damage. They are slow as hell though, so unless you've really improved a character's speed with them I would recommend other ranged weapons (or melee) for your main combat phase. The only exceptiont to this is maybe casters, who are only using ranged weapons (instead of spells) when things are winding down, or in easier encounters. As mentioned above, some weapons cna really play off a classe's abilities, such as cyphers and blunderbusses thanks to their focus mechanic.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Here's a game breaking tip for you guys:

- use Summon Figurines in every fight

They are perfect cannon fodder and some of them are strong enough to take on everything the game throws at you excluding the final boss.

 

[CloudWolf]

Got to play for a little bit last night and had a lot of fun with it. What makes this feel special for me is just how much like D&D it feels, just the way characters and dialogue are presented. My friends and I just started learning to play D&D and that's making the game feel a little extra fun to me.

It did take me about an hour to get through the character creator though. So many choices! Interesting races, plenty of backgrounds. I usually agonize over choices vacillating back and forth between playing what sounds fun and what makes a strong character. I tried reading about different character builds, but wasn't sure how up to date the info was. Then some of it starts to conflict about what build works best.

Eventually i just said nuts to it all and made what sounded fun. Went with a Cipher, because it sounds pretty awesome to get inside your enemy's head, not to mention turn your teammates into a shock bomb. The other classes sound fun too and I'm glad to read that almost all of them can be viable.

Any advice on weapon choices though? My background started me off with a pike (side note, it's a pretty awesome touch that after i made a menu-based story choice to throw my weapon at an enemy, once i regain control my weapon is gone instead of magically reappearing in my hands! so i had to scavenge for new weapons). Can any class use any weapon, or do you need to use a weapon that plays off your best stats? I think mine are intelligence, then dex and might. Having two weapons sets is nice too, bow in one set and axe/shield in the other. Like i said i am very, very early on, but loving it. Music so far has been excellent! Can you zoom in any during battle? A little hard to tell what's going on when several characters are bunched up.

Any tips are welcome!

edit: just saw on the loading screen that you can indeed zoom in and out.

I had a lot of fun dual wielding blunderbusses as a Cipher. Throw in some summon figurines and melee companions keeping the enemies off you and you'll be almost unstoppable.

 

[Staf]

Love that i get rewarded a fucking

Spoiler

door to use as a shield

. lol

 

[Altazor]

Love that i get rewarded a fucking

Spoiler

door to use as a shield

. lol

I legit used that on Edér for most of the game, lol

 

[Balphon]

Unless they've changed up the mechanics for this release, bash shields are generally terrible and should be avoided.

 

[Anno]

Unfortunately it's a really awful item for a reason that you would never noticed without digging into the combat log. Since it has the bash property it'll actually act as a dual-wielded weapon (but even worse as it doesn't get the reduced delay of a DW weapon), making it take roughly twice as long before you get to swing your actual weapon again. And since bash does little to no damage your DPS tanks.

There are a couple bash shields later in the game that are okay in very specific circumstances.

 

[FlyinJ]

How fast are the load times on the PS4 Pro?

 

[Staf]

So, two questions regarding exp:

1. Is the experience given equally divided out to the party. That is, it's like Baldur's gate that a party of 4 will outlevel a party of 6.
2. Is the level of a companion flexible when you first recruit them? That is, will they be a level relative to your party or is it fixed regardless?

 

[Altazor]

Unfortunately it's a really awful item for a reason that you would never noticed without digging into the combat log. Since it has the bash property it'll actually act as a dual-wielded weapon (but even worse as it doesn't get the reduced delay of a DW weapon), making it take roughly twice as long before you get to swing your actual weapon again. And since bash does little to no damage your DPS tanks.

There are a couple bash shields later in the game that are okay in very specific circumstances.

yeah, I noticed that too late and changed it. Haven't played PoE in a while though, so I can't remember which shield I gave Edér after realizing "hey, this is TOO slow!"

 

[xuchu]

Here's a game breaking tip for you guys:

- use Summon Figurines in every fight

They are perfect cannon fodder and some of them are strong enough to take on everything the game throws at you excluding the final boss.

Yup, they're incredibly useful especially in a triple crown solo run as not only do they tank but they give easy flanking bonus etc.

To truly break the game if playing w/ a full party though and levelling normally, go priest and never look back. Buff your entire party to 30+ in might and other stats and use your wizard/Druid to CC everyone. Pretty much GG the entire game to the point where it's a bit boring.

Understanding DR (damage reduction) and DR penetration is also really important.

And yeah final boss is very challenging even more so than any of the

Spoiler

dragon

fights imo.

 

[TheChaos]

Playing through PotD. Should I even bother with the story companions? Or should I just hire a bunch of mercs?

 

[Anno]

Playing through PotD. Should I even bother with the story companions? Or should I just hire a bunch of mercs?

Mercs can get more optimal stat builds so it's a bit easier. Story companions get the job done just fine though if you want the banter.

 

[Sagroth]

Helped to Kickstart this, and now double-dipping. I think I'm going to run a Cipher this time.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

How fast are the load times on the PS4 Pro?

I haven't timed them, but maybe about 20 seconds, possibly a bit longer

 

[GHG]

Said fuck it and bought it from the US PSN store since I already had some store credit on there.

Downloading now, will report back in terms of my experience on the PS4 pro.

 

[Sinatar]

Playing through PotD. Should I even bother with the story companions? Or should I just hire a bunch of mercs?

Stat min maxing isn't a big deal in this game compared to D&D, they went out of their way to ensure that every stat does good things for every class, so the story companions should be fine.

 

[138]

I'm curious about performance and load times on ps4. Anyone?

 

[Balphon]

Playing through PotD. Should I even bother with the story companions? Or should I just hire a bunch of mercs?

Story companions are just fine. You won't feel underpowered. And the extra dialogue is more than worth it.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

I'm curious about performance and load times on ps4. Anyone?

On PS4 Pro, the initial load is about 30 seconds. Loading into larger areas is about 20 seconds, and smaller areas about 7-10. The game runs fine so far. The controls take some getting used to, but once you do they're adequate.

 

[Anno]

I made a small review thread with the 11 of them I could find if anyone is interested in checking out the critical consensus.

 

[Futurevoid]

PS4 Pro here and it runs well. The controls take a bit to feel comfortable but it's a fine implementation. I've played the first two hours or so with zero performance issues. Load times are about what Count mentioned. 30 second initial load with 15-20 second average for larger areas and 7-10 seconds for smaller load transitions.

It doesnt look like there's anything special happening resolution wise on the Pro in terms of enhancements but it looks quite good overall.

 

[Irobot82]

On PS4 Pro, the initial load is about 30 seconds. Loading into larger areas is about 20 seconds, and smaller areas about 7-10. The game runs fine so far. The controls take some getting used to, but once you do they're adequate.

Anyone have an SSD on thiers? On PC the load times were pretty rough without one. They said they're working on fixing that in the sequel.

 

[Jamaro85]

Gah, to think people are going to finish this on console before I finish it on PC. Time to get back to it.

Spoiler

Just finished Raedric's Hold.

 

[adj_noun]

I legit used that on Edér for most of the game, lol

Yuuuuuuuuup.

 

[Altazor]

Gah, to think people are going to finish this on console before I finish it on PC. Time to get back to it.

Spoiler

Just finished Raedric's Hold.

man, that took me lots of tries. LOTS of tries. But then again, it was nothing compared to The Master Below Caed Nua.

Holy crap. I even made a post gloating when I beat it, heh. Took me ages.

 

[GHG]

PS4 Pro here and it runs well. The controls take a bit to feel comfortable but it's a fine implementation. I've played the first two hours or so with zero performance issues. Load times are about what Count mentioned. 30 second initial load with 15-20 second average for larger areas and 7-10 seconds for smaller load transitions.

It doesnt look like there's anything special happening resolution wise on the Pro in terms of enhancements but it looks quite good overall.

Mirrors my experience last night. No issues with the loading times or performance on the PS4 pro. Really good game so far.

 

[Sarcasm]

I see it mentions Windows in OP.

This is a thing on PC? Can you buy it as an upgrade? I have the base game (monthly) and waiting for the DLC to go on sale.

 

[The Wart]

Anyone have an SSD on thiers? On PC the load times were pretty rough without one. They said they're working on fixing that in the sequel.

It's been a while since I played it, but I don't remember thinking loading times were a big issue with an SSD. I'd guess 10 to 15 seconds for initial load, 5ish for entering a new map?

I see it mentions Windows in OP.

This is a thing on PC? Can you buy it as an upgrade? I have the base game (monthly) and waiting for the DLC to go on sale.

No official complete edition on PC yet. DLC gets discounted pretty regularly though.

 

[Staf]

So, what kind of weapon is good a character like Durance? He comes with a rod/staff.

By the way, what's with the OT name? I've heard of Raedric by the now, is it a meme?

 

[Balphon]

So, what kind of weapon is good a character like Durance? He comes with a rod/staff.

If you mean a Priest, take the deity-specific talent and use whatever their deity's favored weapons are. For Durance that'd be Inspired Flame and a sword or arquebus.

 

[dude]

So, what kind of weapon is good a character like Durance? He comes with a rod/staff.

By the way, what's with the OT name? I've heard of Raedric by the now, is it a meme?

Arquebus in my opinion would be the best. Durance, for me, usually didn't last all that long on the front-lines, and he's much better used as a buffs-dispenser, so you'd want a ranged weapon.

 

[Sinatar]

Yea any ranged weapon is good, frankly as you progress in the game he's going to be far too busy running around like a madman trying to keep your party alive to be using whatever weapon you've got equipped anyway.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

So, what kind of weapon is good a character like Durance? He comes with a rod/staff.

By the way, what's with the OT name? I've heard of Raedric by the now, is it a meme?

OT name... you will understand once you are far enough into the game Not a meme.

 

[Staf]

Wait what? There are Arquebus/guns in this game? Also i'm a bit confused regarding the scepter weapon my dwarven wizard is using. In the description it says that it's a "two-handed" but she is clearly using it in one hand together with the book.

 

[Sinatar]

Wait what? There are Arquebus/guns in this game? Also i'm a bit confused regarding the scepter weapon my dwarven wizard is using. In the description it says that it's a "two-handed" but she is clearly using it in one hand together with the book.

If I remember correctly you've always got access to your spellbook regardless of your weapon.

 

[Hostile_18]

What difficulty is everyone playing at? Was kind of surprised to see easy was the "recommended difficulty" for most.

Gone with hard but will reduce if I need to. Most RPG's get easier as they go on and I did play and complete BG Trilogy and Planes.

 

[Sinatar]

What difficulty is everyone playing at? Was kind of surprised to see easy was the "recommended difficulty" for most.

Gone with hard but will reduce if I need to. Most RPG's get easier as they go on and I did play and complete BG Trilogy and Planes.

If you've got that infinity engine experience then hard should be fine.

It's definitely not a game that gets easier though, they really ramp up the encounters in the late game and white march.

 

[Staf]

I'm playing on normal and enjoying it. By the way i'm starting to really love that ugly crazy priest Durance.

 

[Hostile_18]

If you've got that infinity engine experience then hard should be fine.

It's definitely not a game that gets easier though, they really ramp up the encounters in the late game and white march.

Might change it to normal then. Not that I can't beat it but there's so much to play and I hear it's already a long game!

 

[Donos]

Put it on my PSN whislist. Sale with 30-35 € and i'm in. Other stuff on my plate atm anyway. Don't know how long i can hold. Urge is rising to finally play a fine RPG again...

What is the avarage playtime when you do most of the sidequests too (on a mid to bit harder difficulty)?

Can anyone with a PS4 Pro and an SSD can comment on the loading times? I endured Witcher 3 and XCOM2 which had eternity loading times but it would be nice to hear that a SSD cuts the loading in half or something like that (i have an external EVO 850)

 

[Sinatar]

Put it on my PSN whislist. Sale with 30-35 € and i'm in. Other stuff on my plate atm anyway. Don't know how long i can hold. Urge is rising to finally play a fine RPG again...

What is the avarage playtime when you do most of the sidequests too (on a mid to bit harder difficulty)?

80+ hours.

 

[Staf]

Ok, just got Kana. Gotta say i really enjoy what they have done to the bard class. That is, the song is customizable and playing don't stop the bard from doing other stuff. Still, only got one character in the party that can take a beating in melee. Need to find a paladin/battle cleric type in heavy armor. Keldorn where are you?!

 

[Sinatar]

Ok, just got Kana. Gotta say i really enjoy what they have done to the bard class. That is, the song is customizable and playing don't stop the bard from doing other stuff. Still, only got one character in the party that can take a beating in melee. Need to find a paladin/battle cleric type in heavy armor. Keldorn where are you?!

If you beeline through the story and hit act 2 you'll get a Paladin.

 

[Steve.1981]

Just to ask a quick question about the combat system; I see it described as real-time with pause. Are we talking something even remotely similar to the experience of a Dragon Age or Mass Effect on console? As in, real-time and you only pause to line up a good spell/power attack?

I think later on this year I'll be looking for a good, deep RPG to lose myself in for over a hundred hours, and I've noticed how well regarded Pillars of Eternity is, but the combat systems almost always kill these games for me. For example, I loved everything about Divinity: Original Sin except the combat, which I kind of hated... I had a really great time with Diablo 3 though. It was much more my kind of thing.

This game looks really cool and I'd love to give it a chance, but it's about time I admitted that certain things just aren't for me. Any advice? Go for it, give it a miss? Thanks in advance.

 

[Anno]

Just to ask a quick question about the combat system; I see it described as real-time with pause. Are we talking something even remotely similar to the experience of a Dragon Age or Mass Effect on console? As in, real-time and you only pause to line up a good spell/power attack?

I think later on this year I'll be looking for a good, deep RPG to lose myself in for over a hundred hours, and I've noticed how well regarded Pillars of Eternity is, but the combat systems almost always kill these games for me. For example, I loved everything about Divinity: Original Sin except the combat, which I kind of hated... I had a really great time with Diablo 3 though. It was much more my kind of thing.

This game looks really cool and I'd love to give it a chance, but it's about time I admitted that certain things just aren't for me. Any advice? Go for it, give it a miss? Thanks in advance.

Dragon Age: Origins is probably the closet comparison that's been on consoles. 6 man party, pause to issue orders, unpause to see how it plays out, pause again to change stuff around etc.

 

[Staf]

Dragon Age: Origins is probably the closet comparison that's been on consoles. 6 man party, pause to issue orders, unpause to see how it plays out, pause again to change stuff around etc.

In most fights i don't really interfere that much. The AI can handle itself in most fights, but when you face a boss or lots of mobs you need to micromanage some (though i play on normal difficulty). I really like this playstyle.

 

[Steve.1981]

Dragon Age: Origins is probably the closet comparison that's been on consoles. 6 man party, pause to issue orders, unpause to see how it plays out, pause again to change stuff around etc.

Sounds good. So is the player always in control of every party member during fights, or can you leave your squad-mates to do their own thing for a while and then jump back in if you want to order one of them to use a certain power/cast a specific spell? Again, like in DA:O or ME?

Edit: Ignore this question, it's just been answered! Thanks for the info!

 

[Staf]

Magical talking statue: "Can i interest you in this castle?"

Me: "Oh, awesome i always wanted my own castle"

Magical talking statue: "That's great, juuuuuust sign here and here"

Me: "Easy peasy"

Magical talking statue: "Oh by the way, the castle is in a horrible condition and you need to spend loads of cash to get it into a usuable condition"

Me: "..."

Magical talking statue: "Oh, did i forget to mentioned that it's cursed?"

Me: "..."

Magical talking statue: "And it's got a mega dungeon in the cellar with all kinds of monsters"

Magical talking statue: "Have fun!"



I love this game

 

[MagusMaleficus]

Anybody tried the Xbox version yet? Any caveats?