Just Got Game...Party Build Help

[dwhansen777]

I've read through a multitude of forums and guides over the past 90 days...watched you tube vids...etc...full magic/full melee/hybrid/lonewolve party builds.

Not a min/max guy...so here's my thoughts on a starting party on enhanced classic difficulty:

*Red Prince-S/B warrior...warfare/geo.
*Beast-dual axe battlemage...warfare/air.
*Lohse-staff enchanter...hydro/air.
*Fane-staff wizard...pyro/geo.

May not be "a maxed out party" used by experience players...but are there any serious issues with this party build? Not looking so much for "tweeks"...but serious flaws.

TXS

[slovakiaman]

No, there are no serious flaws.

[Zero]

Personally I prefer one damage type party.

I finished classic with magic party.
1 aero, 1 hydro, 1 geo, 1 pyro. All of them have some points in scoundrel, huntsman, poly and warfare to take tool skills.

Right now I play lonewolf scoundrel and ranger for my 2nd classic run.

Easier to manage cc

[tonypa]

Originally posted by dwhansen777:

Not a min/max guy...so here's my thoughts on a starting party on enhanced classic difficulty:

*Red Prince-S/B warrior...warfare/geo.
*Beast-dual axe battlemage...warfare/air.
*Lohse-staff enchanter...hydro/air.
*Fane-staff wizard...pyro/geo.

It is fine. The Fort Joy area is somewhat tutorial anyway, since you do not get access to all the skills until higher level, plus later you can restat your whole party for free any time you want.

[Pyromus]

You'll be fine on classic mode with that as long as you don't have fane shoot fireballs at targets that lohse has just frozen, and don't try to freeze targets that have been set on fire. Keep in mind that beast and red are going to have to pick one of their respective damage types to focus on, as splitting int/str is going just make them awful at both. My advice would be to have both focus on physical damage and get aeor/geo skills that cc or buff in some way. Teleport, netherswap, uncanny evasion for beast, as well as 1-2 shocking spells used only to follow up on one of lohse's targets for the cc. Then fortify, impalement, and mend metal on red, and eventually earthquake because it's a massive knockdown power. Aside from that, have them focus on warfare.

[LaserGuy]

I would suggest switching to Hydro/Geo and Air/Fire rather than Hydro/Air and Geo/Fire. The reason is that this way both of your casters can work together on whichever elemental surface you want to use. Want to play with fire? Use Geo on one, Fire on the other. Want freezing/shocking? Hydro on one, aero on the other. Problem is that hydro/fire don't play well together, so you usually end up with problems where you might want to attack someone, but don't want to destroy the nice freezing effect or ice surface or whatever that you've made below them.

[hurepoix]

Originally posted by tonypa:

plus later you can restat your whole party for free any time you want.

It is imo a big mistake for a rpg game, where you can have a strong resilent warrior the morning, Robin hood one hour later and merlin the enchanter on midday.

[ColorsFade]

Originally posted by LaserGuy:

I would suggest switching to Hydro/Geo and Air/Fire rather than Hydro/Air and Geo/Fire. The reason is that this way both of your casters can work together on whichever elemental surface you want to use. Want to play with fire? Use Geo on one, Fire on the other. Want freezing/shocking? Hydro on one, aero on the other. Problem is that hydro/fire don't play well together, so you usually end up with problems where you might want to attack someone, but don't want to destroy the nice freezing effect or ice surface or whatever that you've made below them.

This, right here. Listen to this.

With D:OS 2 you need to hit with a type and follow it up for magic-based CC to happen. You can't just shoot lightning at people and expect to stun them anymore (like the first game); you have to do it twice to get the CC effect (and even then, it's one turn). It's like "one spell to set Shocked, second spell on Shocked target to set Stun".

[Pyromus]

Originally posted by ColorsFade:

Originally posted by LaserGuy:

I would suggest switching to Hydro/Geo and Air/Fire rather than Hydro/Air and Geo/Fire. The reason is that this way both of your casters can work together on whichever elemental surface you want to use. Want to play with fire? Use Geo on one, Fire on the other. Want freezing/shocking? Hydro on one, aero on the other. Problem is that hydro/fire don't play well together, so you usually end up with problems where you might want to attack someone, but don't want to destroy the nice freezing effect or ice surface or whatever that you've made below them.

This, right here. Listen to this.

With D:OS 2 you need to hit with a type and follow it up for magic-based CC to happen. You can't just shoot lightning at people and expect to stun them anymore (like the first game); you have to do it twice to get the CC effect (and even then, it's one turn). It's like "one spell to set Shocked, second spell on Shocked target to set Stun".

On this note, I have used a pair like this as well as 2 more standard hydro/aero + geo/pyro and I would say the initiative order is really important. If you have a geo/hydro, make them go first, as you can set the oil puddles where they need to be, and make the enemies wet that need to be wet. Then the pyro/aero can target what is already set up for them. Since you don't have to balance the standard wizard/enchanter pair into that mix, just try to make sure either your magic damagers go first, or your physical mains go first, don't stagger them. It'll allow enemies more time to recover armor and you don't want that in a mixed party.

[Chaoslink]

Nothing too serious, but its very visibly obvious you have them all as their defaults. Not bad necessarily, but the default battlemage build is incredibly ineffective, as you never want to split between STR/INT/FIN, pick one and stick to just that. I only mention this (the magic skills would be great to combo with the other mages) because also running a 1H/shield combo is going to leave your physical damage very weak. You'd almost be better off going all magic with those builds. Not even coming from a min/max mindset here, without knowing the mechanics very well, you might have issues with the physical half of your team. 1H/shield is weak for damage for the most part and if you stack both INT and STR on your battlemage, your other physical damager isn't going to be able to make up for it.

I'd recommend focusing Beast or Prince on 2H weapons (they won't have to compete for 1H weapons this way either) to boost damage and make sure they focus on physical mostly. Still be fine with having a point or two in Geo/Aero for the skills to use as support but not worrying about the spells dealing damage.

Just tossing that in before you hit any snags. You might not, but it is a definite possibility that you'll lack the damage you need to be effective your first time around.

[LaserGuy]

Also, and this is a little thing, but if you decide to go with the Geo/Aero build I suggested above, you are probably better off using wand/shield instead of staff. You get SO much more if you don't use the staff, and you aren't going to be using your primary attack all that much anyway except maybe right at the beginning... any wand with +2 INT and a bit of an initiative bonus is going to be decent enough. You can even throw a point of warfare in for bouncing shield to get a cheap and effective physical attack.

[dwhansen777]

Thanks for all the insights!

[Ikoian]

Originally posted by hurepoix:

Originally posted by tonypa:

plus later you can restat your whole party for free any time you want.

It is imo a big mistake for a rpg game, where you can have a strong resilent warrior the morning, Robin hood one hour later and merlin the enchanter on midday.

It is nice though when you fist recruit a member and they start with that 1 point in sneaking that you wish was in lockpicking instead or a talent they don't need.