The GWJ CRPG Club - Game 2: Pillars of Eternity (Over)

Skraut wrote:

I've been diving back in. Focusing less on trying to do big play sessions, and play more consistently in smaller chunks. Making decent progress, though I still wish for turned based combat.

Have you played about with the combat pausing options? They are handy. I felt the same way you do about the combat until I went in and turned on a handful of automatic pausing options for combat. After I did that all the frustration went away.

Good advice with the auto-pause options. This may help me, too.

Never really used the auto-pause settings, but I sure pause a lot in these games.
No always to change anything, just to check if it looks like something might be going wrong.

The only auto-pause setting I had to change was to pause on detecting something hidden. Got tired of seeing a trap get detected and have my party walk right on top of it because they kept on walking to where I had directed.

I'm in!

So after being stuck over a year ago early on at hard difficulty, I decided to restart on normal playing a godlike cipher.....WOW! I thought divinity original sin 1 and 2 were my favorite, but this is now King in the "Inifinty Engine Wars" not since Baldur's Gate 2 have I enjoyed an RPG this much. One of the most unexpected and exciting things I've done, is slaughter everyone in the goose and fox, because I wanted to kill that drug dealer for the house...D-Something, and accidentally aggro'd everyone.

The best part is that when this game is done, the sequel is ready to go.

Welcome, Hassasain! Glad to have you with us!

I finally got back into things again tonight. I knocked off two quests in White March II and started a third. This feels like the tenth time or so that I've come back to the game from taking a break. I'm hopeful this will be the last time, and that I'll be able to make steady progress till the end of the game.

After all this time, I think I might be also starting to get the hang of combat too. The first quest I wrapped up tonight involved a large battle at the end. Things started off badly, but I think I reacted well, casting spells to negate the enemy strengths, and buffing up Eder, who the enemy was targeting, to the point where he was able to withstand the barrage of damage he was taking. I'm pretty sure I would have crashed on that battle earlier in the game.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to wrap up another quest or two in White March II, maybe even start on what I think are the final two major quests in the area.

Sunk a little more time in this evening, and I finished out Raedric's hold and the blacksmith quest. Barring the bridge north of Defiance Bay -- the one that you can't access from inside the Bay, because it's crumbled -- I've now gone back and wrapped up all of my loose ends from Act 1.

I'm knocking on the door of Level 6 -- my main character is literally 50 XP away. And I think I have a lead on the beginning of the White March ...

Spoiler:

A few play sessions ago, back in Defiance Bay, I found some burglars who were plotting a hit on a noble house. A note in their possession made reference to the White March. I haven't totally followed up on this, though.

Nice work, LastSurprise. Things really pick up in Act II. I think you'll enjoy it.

I had a good day today. I finished a White March II task, then did four bounty quests back in the main area. Turning those heads in brought most of our party to Level 14, and resulted in ... four more bounty quests. The game that never ends!

Then I decided to try my luck for a bit more of Od Nua, and ended up clearing out another two levels there.

Now that I'm getting a bit better hang of the combat and gear and whatnot, I'm pretty OP for the main area at Level 14. I chewed up those bounty quests without breaking a sweat, and rolled over Levels 12 and 13 in Od Nua. In retrospect, I probably should have chosen to scale the content to my level when I got back from White March, but on the other hand it's kind of nice to clean house on some of these quests now that I've put the time in to get to this level.

I'm not sure what I'll try to do tomorrow. I feel the need to complete some part of the game, so maybe I'll head back to White March II, or continue on in Od Nua for the final two levels.

Big mojo progress! I started out this evening working on Od Nua. I actually got to the bottom, but without giving too much away, I got mauled in two attempts. I decided to return another day.

So I shifted off to White March, and gave the end of White March II a shot. That led to a super fun couple of hours of gaming, with some epic battles along the way and a crackin' good battle at the end. What a blast! I ended up wrapping up both of the final quests there, which feels like a great step forward in finishing up the game.

I'm not sure what I'll try next. Maybe some of my unfinished quests, or some bounty hunting, or perhaps even more progress on the final quests.

Really fun times tonight though. That was some quality gaming.

Nice!

I liked the main game fine (better than most, I think?), but I'm still really impressed with the White March content and characters. Feels like Obsidian at its best.

ubrakto wrote:

Nice!

I liked the main game fine (better than most, I think?), but I'm still really impressed with the White March content and characters. Feels like Obsidian at its best.

I've enjoyed the main game quite a bit, and would probably have enjoyed it more had I not played it during a super busy time for work, where things got broken up into a week of playing then a week of not playing.

But Obsidian leveled up in the expansions, for sure.

I do find myself wanting to start a new game and play it through again after I'm done with this game, now that I understand things better. I still think I have a lot to learn about how the combat works. I don't think I'll do that because I want to play other things, but I definitely feel like I'm scratching the surface of a truly deep combat engine.

So I decided to drop my Con and Might and buff my Resolve for role playing reasons. There are a number of late level quests where it seems like the only way to avoid a fight is to have like 20 resolve. I will let you guys know how it goes.

Also, I just finished up the Court of Penitents and am about to hit 11. Am I close enough that I can finish up in 10 hours or less? I have some extra time this week due to vacation but hitting that point where I just need to finish and move on to the games I bought in the steam sale.

No idea on your question, as I'm behind you: I hit level 6 at the beginning of my session today, and am maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the way to level 7.

In terms of story, I made my way back to Defiance Bay, completed a few more side quests (the Lighthouse, the first part of the dispute over Caed Nua, the Heart of the White March, the dispute between the woman at the brothel and the guy from her hometown), and then thought I'd get back to the main quests. I just entered the catacombs, fought through a handful of trolls and angry plants, and decided to take a break.

So guys, I’m level 7 with most of my party and playing normal difficulty. The game has now gotten to a point where it is not too difficult. For example I just completed the Roderick’s hold quest and when I was battling in the throne room it was not too hard, my priest ended up getting knocked out, but it was becausing of my miscast fireball really. With the main quest line, I just defeated the possessed spirits in the asylum, (The man who waits.)

My question is should I change some of the difficulty, or will the game get harder?

No, it won't. Game is hardest early on, then gets easier - until the very last boss at least + some of the optional end bosses. Definitely think it's worth it to try a harder difficulty. But then I consider the game to be much better at higher difficulty, probably not true for everyone.

jdzappa wrote:

Also, I just finished up the Court of Penitents and am about to hit 11. Am I close enough that I can finish up in 10 hours or less? I have some extra time this week due to vacation but hitting that point where I just need to finish and move on to the games I bought in the steam sale.

Almost certainly yes, unless you want to do the White March expansion stuff first.

jdzappa wrote:

So I decided to drop my Con and Might and buff my Resolve for role playing reasons. There are a number of late level quests where it seems like the only way to avoid a fight is to have like 20 resolve. I will let you guys know how it goes.

Also, I just finished up the Court of Penitents and am about to hit 11. Am I close enough that I can finish up in 10 hours or less? I have some extra time this week due to vacation but hitting that point where I just need to finish and move on to the games I bought in the steam sale.

You are pretty much at the point of no return to be honest. You could be done in the space of an hour if you really wanted to

Hassasain wrote:

So guys, I’m level 7 with most of my party and playing normal difficulty. The game has now gotten to a point where it is not too difficult. For example I just completed the Roderick’s hold quest and when I was battling in the throne room it was not too hard, my priest ended up getting knocked out, but it was becausing of my miscast fireball really. With the main quest line, I just defeated the possessed spirits in the asylum, (The man who waits.)

My question is should I change some of the difficulty, or will the game get harder?

Well guys I jinxed myself. After this post I went into the dungeon under Caed Nua, sure enough I go-to level 7, and am floored by these ancient animats. I finally beat them after five tries. Think I'll keep the game on normal difficulty

I think that is not so much the game getting harder as it is entering areas way above your level. Caed Nua dungeon is meant to last into end game.

Sorbicol wrote:
jdzappa wrote:

So I decided to drop my Con and Might and buff my Resolve for role playing reasons. There are a number of late level quests where it seems like the only way to avoid a fight is to have like 20 resolve. I will let you guys know how it goes.

Also, I just finished up the Court of Penitents and am about to hit 11. Am I close enough that I can finish up in 10 hours or less? I have some extra time this week due to vacation but hitting that point where I just need to finish and move on to the games I bought in the steam sale.

You are pretty much at the point of no return to be honest. You could be done in the space of an hour if you really wanted to

Good to know. I haven’t finished the Endless Paths or started White March, but I’m now officially 11 after doing more Elmshore quests. I’m just trying to figure out how to get to 14 since it sounds like that’s pretty necessary to survive the final run. Or can I do it at 12 on normal difficulty?

Speaking of the final quest:

Spoiler:

After doing Galawain, Rymrgand and Hylea, I’m at a loss to decide what to do with the souls. Curious to know what others chose.

Depends on whether you picked scaling or no scaling when you entered act 3. If not 12 is fine, but if scaled up maybe not.

jdzappa wrote:

Speaking of the final quest:

Spoiler:

After doing Galawain, Rymrgand and Hylea, I’m at a loss to decide what to do with the souls. Curious to know what others chose.

Spoiler:

It doesn't really make that much difference to be honest beyond some of the end credit post game epilogue text that you get. It does also impact what happens to a very minor degree in Pillars of Eternity: Deadfire as well, especially if you double cross your chosen deity and change your mind. First time through I think I dispersed the souls to strengthen those already in the Dyrwood, the second time I sided with Hylea and returned the souls to those who should have had them in the first place. But all in all do whatever you feel is right.

Sorbicol wrote:
jdzappa wrote:

Speaking of the final quest:

Spoiler:

After doing Galawain, Rymrgand and Hylea, I’m at a loss to decide what to do with the souls. Curious to know what others chose.

Spoiler:

It doesn't really make that much difference to be honest beyond some of the end credit post game epilogue text that you get. It does also impact what happens to a very minor degree in Pillars of Eternity: Deadfire as well, especially if you double cross your chosen deity and change your mind. First time through I think I dispersed the souls to strengthen those already in the Dyrwood, the second time I sided with Hylea and returned the souls to those who should have had them in the first place. But all in all do whatever you feel is right.

Spoiler:

I went the Hylea route both times I've done the end game. Something in me can't stomach not returning the souls to their intended bodies... Might be the parent in me, but I just can't abide knowing I could've given parents' children back to them (those that kept their "hollow" children) and not done so.

Those spoilers are so tempting!

After my last post, over the weekend, I finished the Temple of Woedica and then made progress on a couple of side quests. I also got an invitation to go back to Caed Nua and begin what is, explicitly, the first part of White March Part 1.

I'm at level 6 right now and still have yet to start on any of the main quests after the Temple of Woedica. I think I remember seeing that the beginning of White March Part 1 is appropriate for characters of at least level 7. Is that about right? If so I'll stay in Defiance Bay for a little while longer, before heading back to Caed Nua and starting that quest.

I think I went about Level 8 or 9. That worked fine for me. Level 7 probably is okay depending on your settings?

I'm on hard, without level scaling.

LastSurprise wrote:

I'm on hard, without level scaling.

You are a braver gamer than me.

And I'm done. Finished all the quests, even the never-ending bounty hunts.

Maybe I would have loved this game when I was younger, but declining free time has rendered me impatient over the years. I need a game to either be fairly short or completely engrossing. Unfortunately, PoE's plot and characters didn't really pull me in enough. That said, things sure did pick up and become interesting at the very end. The White March was also an improvement.

The gameplay itself was engrossing during the harder fights, but 95% of the fights seemed to barely require my input on normal. I could have bumped up the difficulty, yes. But then we're looking at even more playtime, which I just couldn't justify.

I found myself constantly comparing the game to other, similar, games that I preferred:
I preferred the combat of Divinity: Original Sin
The companions, plot and world-building of Dragon Age: Origins
The plot, setting and total originality of Planescape: Torment

Probably the game I've played that seems closest to this one is Baldur's Gate 2, which I loved enough to play through fully, twice. This has me wondering. Is my love for it mainly due to nostalgia or is it really a superior game?

I think their stated goal was to make a Baldurs Gate-style game, so I guess it is somewhat positive if that is the game it is closest to.
World-building in Baldurs Gate is probably better imo. Though I find the PoE world interesting, it has a harder time introducing you to a completely new world and having a focused main story at the same time. I agree Dragon Age Origins did that quite good.
For me though, combat in PoE is endlessly better than in Baldurs Gate. Didn't really like that combat at all. Also liked it much better than in Divinity: Original Sin (D:OS2 is another matter, but the two combat systems are so extremely different from each other, making it hard to really compare, I liked both).
Thought companions were mostly on par with BG's (though nostalgia sure is strong for those), but certainly not on par with the stuff Bioware use to do.
Both BG2 and PoE (and DA:Origins) to me represents a complete package - trying to be decent in everything, without necessarily excelling at anything. Sure, Planescape is better in some areas, but nearly a complete disaster in others (combat), or D:OS1 having interesting gameplay, but weak story and characters etc. (though again D:OS2 greatly improved on all its weaknesses).

gewy wrote:

The gameplay itself was engrossing during the harder fights, but 95% of the fights seemed to barely require my input on normal. I could have bumped up the difficulty, yes. But then we're looking at even more playtime, which I just couldn't justify.

Yeah, that is at least VERY different on highest difficulty, where not hand-holding for a second or two could spell disaster. Sure does take a lot more time for the same reason.

I'd agree that I think Baldur's gate 2 is probably just about better than PoE in terms of world building and plot, but the mechanics of PoE are so much better - retains all the complexity but makes it all so much easier to understand. All that said though I do like the combat system in Original Sin more - it just allows for much more innovative approaches to different situations.

When I first played Dragon Age: Origins I actually found all the world building nearly overwhelming the experience in many places - there was just so much of it and it was near impossible to keep track of it all. I found it quite noticeable in Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition that it mostly just boiled down to The Chantry v the Mages, and most of everything else (especailly the Dwarven nobility and caste system stuff) ended up being completely ignored.

However, if you've played the Tresspassers DLC for Inquisition (which sets up DA 4 nicely) then they've actually dealt with all that lore in really quite innovative way - by telling you so much of it is actually wrong. That might seem like a bit of a "Bobby Ewing in the shower" moment, but actually there is enough in the lore of both DA:O and DA2 to suggest it was actually part of their plan all a long. No idea if that's right I admit, but if it is and Bioware can prove it then I would take my hat off to them for having to courage to do what they have done to be honest.