Best Companions for the Beast of Winter

[Steffan]

Originally, I went for Pallegina, Eder, Aloth, Ydwin and the main PC. Now that Vatnir is aboard as chanter=priest which of the 4 has to go/be replaced? The campaign is Path of the Damned-Upscaled an the party varies between level 19 and 17. Who has the most interactions in that quest? To be honest, it is either Pallegina or Eder. Aloth is needed because of two spells: pull of Eora and the wall of colours. Basic crowd control. Any advice? Or is switching between companions between the missions of the DLC better?

Pallegina seems to have interesting reactivity in the beginning and I love her anti-religious rhetoric. Eder has been companion since the very beginning of Pillars 1 and has unique sense of humour. Although he seems to have the least to do with the story of the Beast of Winter (though his main quest might have led him to an interesting place when it comes to the gods).

Which characters did you bring and you were most satisfied by that (character-wise). Please avoid major spoilers.

P.S. I have to admit that I am still in the beginning but the start is very strong. It got me hooked immediately after the first fight.

[dcain3456]

What class is your PC? Can't believe there's no priest in your main lineup.

[Du-Vu]

Ydwin as a pale elf, she probably has the most stake in this adventure along with Vatnir, I'd probably bring her. Without spoilers, I'd say there's one thing in particular you definitely want Eder and possibly Xoti for, and other parts you might want to swap in Aloth and Tekehu respectively. You'll probably know them when you see them. It does require you to hike back to the village, admittedly, but RP-wise, if you're only going to play this once, you might want to see it.

[psychotron666]

For most story interaction, vatnir, Eder, ydwin, tekehu and optionally xoti (for the same quest with Eder).

If you look at each quest you get through the dlc, there's recommended companions by the quest title with their picture, usually they have the most to day during those

[Verthiss]

I personally don't find Priests to be THAT useful in PoE2, especially not as mandatory as they were in PoE1. I usually run Pallegina specced as a tank/healer (either as pure paladin, or as a paladin/chanter), and an off-healer depending on what is recommended for the quest (Tekehu for most of the game, Vatnir in Beast of Winter, Konstanten in SSS) and that pretty much covers all my healing needs.

[Steffan]

From the names mentioned I am surprised by the presence of Tekehu and Eder. But they both make sense. I really enjoy the druid-chanter build of Tekehu so he is always welcome. Eder is the ultimate bro so no complaints either. I have to say that the only character I did not enjoy in the whole franchise was the Devil of Caroc (due to in-character reasons, mind you). Her cameo in the sequel has been far more appealing...

Originally posted by Du-Vu:

You'll probably know them when you see them. It does require you to hike back to the village, admittedly, but RP-wise, if you're only going to play this once, you might want to see it.

Originally posted by psychotron666:

If you look at each quest you get through the dlc, there's recommended companions by the quest title with their picture, usually they have the most to day during those

Indeed. I also spotted Serafen for one of the side quests regarding a brewery. :)

Originally posted by dcain3456:

What class is your PC? Can't believe there's no priest in your main lineup.

A ranged death godlike cipher-rogue. Trickster-beguiler. He is the highest DPS character in the group. Illusions give him some endurance while the puppet master is very useful in wrecking havock among the enemies. Add Aloth and you have the perfect storm.

I am more of the opinion below. Mind you, in PoE I had no problems with the White March 2 without him (there were other thematic characters for that storyline) as long as you stock potions an scrolls. In PoE 2 priests are even more dispensable. They have fewer spells per combat, few healing spells so imho they are no longer the best healer. That title goes to the chanters and the paladins (even crusaders work fine as healers). And a big budget for healing potions and scrolls is not a bad idea, either. There is also another aspect of it: I have Xoti as a pure priest. Usually my battles are long and it is very risky for me to take two casters with limited resources (unlike chanters and ciphers). I already have Aloth as a single class wizard.

This does not mean priests are redundant, I agree. Xoti single handedly wiped out 1/3 of the crew of the Floating Hangman with a single spell and she was still a support crew run by the AI. If you are facing mobs of vessels under your level, she is the person for the job. She is also not squishy, which is a big plus.

Originally posted by Verthiss:

I personally don't find Priests to be THAT useful in PoE2, especially not as mandatory as they were in PoE1. I usually run Pallegina specced as a tank/healer (either as pure paladin, or as a paladin/chanter), and an off-healer depending on what is recommended for the quest (Tekehu for most of the game, Vatnir in Beast of Winter, Konstanten in SSS) and that pretty much covers all my healing needs.

[angrytrex]

The only reasonable solution is to kill them all, offer their skulls to the Beast of Winter, and set out solo for the rest of your adventure. This eliminates the need to optimize your party lineup and cater to everybody's moral needs.

[Grim Duck]

Originally posted by angrytrex:

The only reasonable solution is to kill them all, offer their skulls to the Beast of Winter, and set out solo for the rest of your adventure. This eliminates the need to optimize your party lineup and cater to everybody's moral needs.

THIS !