I’ve just gotten the el cheapo deal on Steam for the two White March episodes, which passed me by at the time. I very nearly finished the main game and enjoyed it thoroughly, until I suddenly didn’t … I’m enjoying it again now because I’ve forgotten a lot of it, and I can now luxuriate in the new stuff. The rich detail on the story and background side is still something to get lost in.
But all the tweaks and improvements I know nothing about. Can anyone give me a good up-to-date Druid build and general sense of tactics as the game is now? Thankee.
Honestly, since the 2nd White March expansion was the final major overhaul, if I were you I’d Youtube build recommendations. There are a surprising # of videos per class.
Well into it again at lvl 8 now (on Path of the Damned difficulty, using IE Mod mainly for the ChangeClass console command, as I’m constantly fiddling with builds). Fortunately I’d forgotten most of the story bits so it’s all quite fresh again, plus I have the expansions to look forward to now. Woohoo!
I have to say, whatever they did with the game since release they’ve really improved it all-round. I remember the combat being a bit irritating before because of the almost-good-but-not-quite-working engagement mechanic, now it all seems to be much smoother and more enjoyable.
I’ve also done a lot of checking out of build and Youtube advices, and I think I can grasp the mechanics much better than I did before. Like some of you guys above, I had thought the mechanics weird and unintuitive, but now that I’ve got a sense of them, I’m finding it all makes sense nicely. The RPS-ish thing around the attack vs. resistances/DR mechanic is quite satisfying to work with (as someone mentioned above,about gearing up specifically for big fights). About the worst I can say about the system now is that high-Might Wizards and high-Int Barbarians are still a tad immersion-bruising :) Even the stacking makes sense now that I know it tells you when things are “suppressed” and you can shuffle things around (either in terms of gear or spells v spells) so as not to waste anything.
The way they seem to have fixed up the game gives me some confidence in PoE2. It’s a shame the gameplay side of things wasn’t as polished as this on release, it would have probably gotten an ‘A’ all round from everyone (as opposed to the “B+ meh” it got), as the obsessive IE “feel” is definitely there. There really is something magical about beautifully painted isometric settings with your wee characters going about their business.
The “Complete” Edition of Pillars of Eternity is coming to consoles! Kind of a crazy thing.
Gamespot had some hands-on with it looks like.
I haven’t read it, as I have no interest in a console based PoE, but others may, so I hope you enjoy!
That’s pretty amazing, but good god I never want to play any party-based RPG of this style on a console. The management and controls would be a nightmare. Perhaps that feeling is due to my own comfort level with PC vs. console controls, and I rather like consoles for the simple RPGs (D3), but leave anything that requires complex management to the PCs for me.
If you don’t have a decent computer, though, or just want to play PoE away from your desktop, this might be a great way to experience a fantastic game.
I’ve been sucked into playing PoE again, and I’m not displeased. I love this game and, although I felt I was done after two plays (187 hours), a break makes it feel good to be back with it. Sorry backlog, you just didn’t excite me.
rei
3010
i have an extra copy to give away and have no takers amongst my IRL friends.
I’ve really tried with this game and just drifted away. If anything I had the opposite experience - everything else in my backlog seemed to be more interesting than this formulaic self-important (yet polished) title.
Do enjoy it more than it’s spiritual successor BG2?
At this point I do, but that’s just my complete sense of “nope” over 2nd edition AD&D after all these years. I love BG&BG2 and have played them both many times, but PoE is new and I like what it’s doing a lot. I can’t wait for PoE2.
But is it just the mechanics that are better (which they probably are) or do prefer the game?
Because it really left me cold and thoroughly bored. I thought maybe it was just rose-tinted glasses but I’ve since gone back and played Icewind Dale 1 and loved every bit of it.
With PoE it’s like they sat down with a checklist and methodically just added the things that they thought needed (probably an inherent problem with Kickstarter really) and the playing experience demonstrates that.
It’s the entire package. The characters, the world they are building, the visuals and art design, the gameplay rules and mechanics, how your characters progress, the enemies you face and the villains and allies you encounter, it all clicks so well for me. I too have gone back and played BG and IWD2 very recently (just last month) and they are fun to get into but don’t hold my attention any more. Some of that is just that I’ve played them so much, but some of it is at this point, I’d rather be playing PoE.
I started yet another game, this time with a cipher named Garilonn in imitation of Julian May’s stuff.
I played the BGs so long ago and they were so good that I’ve not wanted to return even with the EE versions. With decades between them and PoE, I find it difficult to consider them side-by-side. On its own merit, PoE shines. I love a game with detail in world-building and history, and I want one with memorable characters and enjoyable gameplay.
As a comparison, I never completed Divinity:Original Sin and gave up on my second attempt with the Enhanced Edition. There was something about the quirky humour and weird writing coupled with the gameplay that didn’t sit well with me. On the other hand, loved Wasteland 2. So, it’s not like any old game of that classic style will grab me.
And yeah, PoE2 will make me drop everything else for a big chunk of time. Most anticipated game for me right now.
BG2 is the superior game.
This is not a knock against PoE. Pillars just isn’t the best RPG of all time. That’s no sin.
ShivaX
3018
If BG2 had 3rd edition mechanics I’d be playing it right now.
I’ve reached a point where I just can’t stomach 1st-2nd Edition anymore.
robc04
3020
PoE was a very good game, much of it due to what @Scotch_Lufkin mentions above. I also loved the way attributes / abilities were used in dialog and the little text adventure sections. If there is one thing I hope that PoE2 ‘fixes’ is the pace and flow of combat. Even when having characters with their zone of control ability (forget the name) upgraded, combat devolves into a mess too easily. The log is informative, but I never found a good autopause setting that suited me. The combat wasn’t bad - but if was probably the most frustrating aspect for me. It would help if they have less mobs and have fewer but stronger enemies.
I haven’t played BG 1 or 2 in ages and have the enhanced editions, so I really need to play them again.
BG1 remains hamstrung by the silliness that is low-level AD&D, but BG2 remains 100% brilliant.
I see your Mass Effect, and I raise you Yoshimo. And Minsc. And Edwin. And Jaheira. And Korgan. And Viconia. And goddamn, even the third-tier NPCs would have been headliners in another game…Mazzy and Jan are more than solid.
Well…Jan. Maybe not. That guy. Gnome. Whatever. Not my thing. But I get to leave him to rot in prison forever, so it’s all good.
e: also. ALSO! BG2 is still one of the two (thx KotoR / the bits of KotoR2 that were finished-ish) games to ever have evil characters that weren’t (just) moustache-twirling scenery-crunching Ming the Merciless cartoons, but actual people. Selfish, terrible people. But a hell of a lot better than Final Fantasy ‘muahahahah i’m going to blow up the world because reasons!’ people.
rei
3022
I guess everyone watching this thread has played it and no one wants a free copy.
