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| Pillars of Eternity 2 Video-Based Walkthrough by David Milward |
CHARACTER PLANNING
Harmonization / Synergies
The key concept for character planning is to select class abilities that work towards the same or similar purpose, and therefore contribute to a character's capabilities in a harmonious way. And then it's a matter of equipping the character with items that harmonize with the class abilities. For example, if want to make a character that scores as many Critical Hits as possible, then select class abilities that increase Accuracy and/or provide chances of converting Hits to Critical Hits. You can take it even further and look for abilities that provide additional effects that trigger on scoring a Critical Hit. Now fit that character with weapons and equipment that increase Accuracy, provide chances to convert Hits to Critical Hits and trigger additional effects on Critical Hits.
But that also means avoiding abilities that might provide certain benefits, but they do not harmonize well with the overall purposes of your character build or can even work at cross-purposes with it. There is a certain truth to the idea that building a tank character is inherently at tension with building a DPS (Damage per Second) character. Tanking abilities that increase Defenses can often demand a sacrifice in Accuracy or other abilities that can increases DPS, and vice versa. When you know what you want your character to do, commit to it. Harmonize everything towards that purpose, and treat other abilities that do not fit that purpose as fat to be trimmed.
The question of harmonization and synergies can even guide the question of whether you want to single-class or multi-class a character. Some abilities from different classes may actually harmonize well with each other, and thus make multi-classing worth it even at the expense of the 8th and 9th-tier capstone abilities that would come from going single-class. On the other hand, the 8th and 9th-tier capstone abilities for each class may themselves be the very reason for playing a character, and provide the focus for harmonization and synergies. It depends.
What follows now is brief profiles of each character I play, a summary of the overall theme of the character that explains the synergies in his or her build. Each profile also links to the character's page where I go into more detail about why each ability is selected, as well as a complete inventory with detailed explanations of why each item is used and how it fits into the build. I also sometimes explore suggested improvements if you want to adapt the build to your own Watcher character, as well as alternative builds that I did not play in the walkthrough but are worth thinking about.
Good Party: Core Members
Alliria, F Moon Godlike Arcane Knight (Kind Wayfarer / Blood Mage)
Silver Fire: Fire Power Levels are the point of harmonization for both the Kind Wayfarer and Blood Mage parts of her Arcane Knight multi-class build.
One thing I'll say at the outset for Wizards is that usually you can get most of the spells you need from carefully chosen Grimoires. That means most of your Wizard ability selections will be better spent on passive abilities that offer constant benefits to your character, at least for multi-class characters. You'll get most if not all the activated ones you need from your Grimoires.
An advantage of being a Blood Mage is that you potentially cast spells without limit, as long as you have enough Health to recover those spells through the use of Blood Sacrifice. But further explanation is needed. It is at random whether Blood Sacrifice recovers a 1st to 4th level spell, a 1st to 7th level spell, or a 1st to 9th level spell. And even once the tier of recovery is made, which expended spell is recovered is chosen at random. Let's suppose Blood Sacrifice is rolled at tier 1 (1st to 4th level spell), and you previously cast a 2nd-level spell and a 4th-level spell. It will be at random whether you recover the 2nd-level spell or the 4th-level spell. Casting higher level spells can be risky for a Blood Mage. Let's suppose you previously cast a 7th-level spell, but did not cast any 1st to 4th level spells. If Blood Sacrifice is rolled for a tier 2 recovery (1st to 7th level spell) or a tier 3 recovery (1st to 9th level spell), you'll get your 7th level spell back. But if Blood Sacrifice is rolled for a tier 1 recovery (1st to 4th level spell), you won't get your 7th level spell back or any spell back for that matter, as you didn't get a high enough tier on your use of Blood Sacrifice. You can immediately try again, as long as you have enough Health for it.
A very effective use of Blood Sacrifice that I use is to start with Infuse with Vital Essence. It provides a bonus +5 Intelligence to increase the area of effect of my spells, and bonus Health through +5 Constitution. I use Blood Sacrifice to recover the 2nd level spell. I then cast Fireball at my enemies. I now have only 1 empty 3rd level spell slot. Since it is the only spell slot that I've expended, Blood Sacrifice is guaranteed to recover it no matter which tier of Blood Sacrifice I get, whether tier 1 or tier 2 or tier 3. I recover the 3rd level spell slot, and cast Fireball again. Rinse and repeat until I've torched my enemies to ash. Fireball is key-worded as a Fire spell, so it benefits from Fire Power Levels.
I use Blood Magic in different ways during later stages of the game. Sometimes I put up multiple buffs, including Flame Shield which also benefits from Fire Power Levels. I cast a Wall of Draining to catch as many enemies as I can, with a view to adding lots of extended time to my own buffs. At intermittent points, I use Blood Sacrifice in between attacks to gradually recover my spells one by one. And if I get a Wall of Draining back, I cast another one to prolong my buffs even more, at least during long battles.
It can be a risky style to play. I made her a Moon Godlike, and installed the Moon Godlike Rebalance from the Tweaks Mod. The Moon Godlike can recover Health at 75% Health, 50% Health and 25% Health. The Rebalance scales her Health recovery so that it increases with her levels. The Moon Godlike's Health recovery goes a long way to enabling her to play a Blood Mage. Pallegina's healing auras definitely help too.
The key ability of the Kind Wayfarer is White Flames. It recovers Health for all party members with a 2.5m radius whenever she uses her Flames of Devotion attack. And the healing is increased by Fire Power Levels.
Fire Power Levels increase the power of several of her Wizard spells, as well as other Paladin abilities such as Brand Enemy and Sacred Immolation. They are what harmonize both sides of the Arcane Knight multi-class together. And she'll have several items that increase her Fire Power Levels.
The Sponge: Eder in the good party is built as a pure tank, maximized Defenses and maximized Damage Reduction.
I make his Disengagement Attacks powerful enough so that virtually no monster's AI will risk a Disengagement Attack from him. And his Guardian Stance modal and other abilities and items means he can keep plenty of enemies locked down around him.
His Guardian Stance modal also reduces the damage against him the more enemies he has Engaged. Several more items will increase his Damage Reduction even further. Damage against him will usually be so minimal as to easily be undone by Pallegina's healing auras.
Later on he can plant the Take the Hit effect on Alliria, which she can extend with the Wall of Draining spell, will allow her to pass off a lot of the damage she takes from using Blood Sacrifice and/or Sacred Immolation onto Eder. And Eder reduces that damage further with his own stacked up Damage Reduction.
Aloth, M Elf Battlemage (Fighter / Wizard)
The Magic Rock: Aloth will be Alliria's lover during the game. The concept of his particular build here will be a Battlemage tank who can maximize his Defenses through both his Wizard spells and his Fighter buffs, and having all of them extended with Wall of Draining when I get that spell.
Two of his spell Defenses, Wizard Double and Ironskin, can last through to the end of the battle as long as you can keep any attacks his way reduced to either a Graze or a Miss. The build therefore includes items that not only maximize Defenses, but also provide multiple chances of reducing attacks against him to either Grazes or Misses.
The Armored Grace passive of the Fighter will also reduce his Recovery Time after he casts spells.
Pallegina, F Avian Godlike Herald (Chanter / Paladin)
The Fountain of Life: A Paladin / Chanter is probably the best passive healer in the game. The Paladin's Exalted Endurance and the Chanter's Ancient Memory provide area-of-effect auras that heal party members over time. The Lethandria's Devotion Shield and the Blackened Plate Armor provide additional area-of-effect healing auras that stack.
Abilities like Practiced Healer and Mercy and Kindness Followed Where'er She Followed will augment the healing, as well as items that boost Might like the Gauntlets of Ogre Might or Healing like the Physicker's Belt. Ancient Memory often healed 3 or 4 points of damage each second.
She also uses Greater Lay on Hands for when she needs to heal a single party member who's taken significant damage. And again it will be enhanced by the bonuses to Might and Healing.
Most of the other party members are designed to be very resilient with high Defenses and/or high Armor Ratings. That means they usually won't take much in the way of damage. Damage against them will usually be minimal, and easily undone by Pallegina's healing auras.
Mirke, F Orlan Shadowdancer (Monk / Streetfighter)
Set Your Blasters for Stun: This character build is a lesson in taking a disadvantage from a class penalty, and turning it to your advantage. If you want to go with the Monk / Rogue multi-class for Mirke, she has to take the Streetfighter subclass. The Streetfighter enjoys -50% Recovery Time and +50% Damage against Flanked or Afflicted Targets while she herself is either Flanked or Bloodied (25% or less Health). There's also an additional +100% Damage on Critical Hits if she's both Flanked and Bloodied. But she suffers a +20% Recovery Time penalty if she's neither Flanked nor Bloodied.
It is in practice difficult to bring about a self-inflicted Flanked through close positioning between multiple enemies. The reliable way to bring about a self-inflicted Flanked is for the Streetfighter to use the Powdered Burns modal when firing a Blunderbuss. It imposes the Distracted (-5 Perception, Flanked) Affliction on herself, and thus keeps the Streetfighter bonuses going.
Powdered Burns will affect party members too, but without the Distraced Affliction. The other members of the Good Party have sky-high Defenses, so they can usually avoid taking damage from Powdered Burns. And even if they should take a scratch, Pallegina's healing auras will usually and quickly erase that.
There are a couple of Blunderbusses target enemies only using area of effect attacks.. And class-based activated attacks that put Afflictions on their enemy targets will affect multiple enemies through those Blunderbusses. The key Monk attack for Mirke is Stunning Blow. The ability to deliver Stunning Blow through a Blunderbuss like Fire in the Hole, and in combination with Stunning Surge which will recoup the Mortification spent as long as one enemy is Critically Hit, means Stunning Blow becomes a ranged stun-locking attack that I can spam on hordes of enemies over and over again without limit. That of course means I need to find items that will maximize the Accuracy of the Stunning Blow attacks.
She is the one character I prefer to keep out of close combat. But she also takes care of the Good Party's thieving needs.
Good Party: Ship Combatants
Xoti, F Human Sister of the Dark Moon
The Power of Faith: A single-class Monk is unequalled in terms of sheer damage dealt out when using physical attacks. But I have a different theme in mind for Xoti. Religion is a class skill for Monks, and she'll receive an until Rest bonus that provides both +2 Religion and +50% Healing. She as a single-class Monk is therefore well suited to using a Great Sword called The Twin Eels. It unleashes a Healing burst over an area of effect whenever it strikes a killing blow, and the Healing scales with the Religion skill.
Monks have several useful activated attacks, but they require a lot of micromanagement to use effectively. More micromanagement than I personally care to indulge in honestly. If I have a Monk as a core party member, I tend to not spend my Wounds on active abilities. I instead let the maximum 10 Wounds fuel the passive +10 Constitution and +3 Armor from Iron Wheel or the +10 Intellect and +20% Burning Damage from Turning Wheel. But as a ship combatant, I load Xoti up with those activated abilities, and leave it to the game's AI to make constant use of them whenever she has either enough Wounds or enough Mortification for them.
The reason I have her as a single-class Monk during the good playthrough is that the 8th and 9th-tier capstone Monk abilities really make a difference against really powerful bosses in the game. And I bring her into the core party when I need her to use those capstone abilities during key fights.
One ability is Resonance. It allows a Monk to add Resonance to a creature on each strike landed on that creature. The Monk may unleash that Resonance at a time of his or her own choosing, resulting in 15 points of Raw Damage per Resonance. The best weapon for a Monk to build up Resonance is a Blunderbuss called the Kitchen Stove. Like most Blunderbusses it fires 6 projectiles with each attack. Its advantage over other Blunderbusses is that it enjoys a -15% reduction of Reload Time. And that -15% gets reduced to -25% Reload Time after I add the Frantic Reload enchantment. For certain fights, she can keep firing away at the target with the Kitchen Stove. Once the Resonance loaded up on the target exceeds its Health, she unleashes the Resonance to kill it instantly.
Another ability is Whispers of the Wind. It allows her to deliver physical attacks against multiple targets, and she'll be in Stealth while making those attacks. Wearing Ajamuut's Stalking Cloak means those attacks will leave their targets Stunned even should they survive.
The Lava Rock: Let me start by saying I will not touch Serafen's Wild Mind Cipher subclass under any circumstance. It always has a random chance to unleash massive Shocking Damage on the party. And there's no shortage of horror stories on the internet about how that's happened at the worst times. I develop him as a single-class Barbarian, both during this playthrough and the evil playthrough. Looking at both builds side by side is proof that you can come up with very different builds from the same single-class.
The Barbarian has class abilities like Thick-Skinned and Savage Defiance that can dramatically increase his Armor Ratings. The Patinated Plate provides the best pure Armor Rating in the game, especially when enchanted with Bronze Juggernaut and along with several other items in the game. But that comes with the penalty of dramatically increased Recovery Time.
But the Barbarian's Bloodthirst ability means that the Barbarian can, for several seconds, make any Attack or take any action and make instant Recovery from it. Weapons such as Scordeo's Edge and the Sungrazer Flail also present chances on Hit or Critical Hit for instant Recovery. It's a Barbarian build that tries to have its cake and eat it too.
Ydwin, F Elf Mindstalker (Cipher / Rogue)
Pilum and Scutum: The Rogue class is all about inflicting as much Damage as you can on single targets. And there are some Cipher powers that help in that regard. Biting Whip adds +30% Damage with weapons. Hammering Thoughts adds +1 Penetration with weapons.
This is one build that goes against the general grain in that it tries to include both tanking and DPS, but in a way that more or less works. The reason is that it tries to make best use of a Rogue ability called Riposte. It's a passive that provides a chance of a Full Attack (attack with weapons from both hands) as a counter attack with a Melee Weapon, after an enemy has made a Melee Attack against Deflection and Missed. Fully realizing this passive to its best potential requires maximizing Deflection to the greatest extent possible, and a bashing shield in the off-hand that increases Accuracy and Penetration. The shield called Tuotilo's Palm combined with Monastic Unarmed Training fits the bill. The Borrowed Instinct power adds a +20 bonus to both Accuracy and all Defenses, which both increases the chances of triggering Riposte and increases the chances of the counterattack hitting.
Another theme in the build is imposing the Flanked condition on enemies who come near her, and scoring bonus Damage against them based on being Flanked. The Tactical Meld provides the Aware (+5 Perception, 50% chance of converting Graze to Hit) Inspiration and adds +3 enemies Engaged. The Persistent Distraction passive adds another +1 enemies Engaged, and forces the Distracted (-5 Perception, Flanked) Affliction on any enemy she Engages. Her weapon of choice, a Spear called Stalker's Patience, scores bonus Damage against Flanked targets that scales with her Stealth skill. Thaos' Headdress provides another bonus to Damage against Flanked targets.
Fassina, F Human Sorceress (Conjurer / Animist)
Poison Ivy: The benefit of a multi-class that includes two spellcasting classes is an abundance of spells to cast. Getting the most out of such a multi-class means trying to raise Power Levels for the spells that the character will cast, whether that means bonuses to Power Levels generally or bonuses to specific types of Power Levels that are applicable to the spells used by the character.
Fassina will naturally emphasize Conjuration spells, as they will benefit from her Conjurer subclass. Rejuvenation Power Levels will increase the power of her healing spells. Plant Power Levels will increase the power of some of her spells. And indeed she'll get a Quarterstaff that provides bonus Power Levels for both Rejuvenation and Plant spells.
I am normally loath to give a ship combatant abilities that can harm fellow party members. But I make Fassina a justified exception. The bonuses can empower spells like Noxious Burst, Malignant Cloud, Nannasin's Cobra Strike that are available through the Snakeskin Grimoire she will acquire. While the two former spells can hurt party members as well as enemies, she will also provide a lot of healing spells as a counterbalance.
Might enhances both offensive spells and healing spells alike, so that is also a must for Fassina.
The Black Phoenix: Eder provides an example of how a single-class Fighter can be developed as a rock solid tank. It is of course also possible to develop a single-class Fighter as a DPS character. It helps that several of the Fighter's activated abilities, like Mule Kick and Clear Out and Power Strike, are Primary Attacks, attacks that use the character's main weapon instead of a weapon from each hand. That in itself encourages the use of two-handed weapons.
Using those abilities can burn through a Fighter's pool of Discipline very quickly. The Toughened Fury passive will recoup one point of Discipline if the Fighter is himself struck with a Critical Hit. And that passive is a natural fit for a Fighter who's developed to strike with two-handed weapons and not as a tank. In fact, this build for Rekke is meant to encourage Critical Hits against him. Using the Vulnerable Thrust modal with an Estoc increases his Penetration, but also involves a -15 Deflection penalty which is perfect for encouraging Critical Hits against him. The Sandals of the Water Lily incur another -10 penalty to all Defenses.
And should he be knocked unconscious, Unbreakable and then Unrelenting will revive him with at least 100 Health and bonuses to Defenses and Armor and Discipline. Furthermore, that will trigger explosions that will damage enemies only through his Cape of the Falling Star and his One Dozen Stood armor.
I would hesitate to go in a direction like this for a core party member. But I don't at all mind it for a ship combatant, who will not sustain Injuries should he be knocked unconscious during a ship battle.
Konstanten, M Dwarf Howler (Barbarian / Skald)
When the Body Gets Weak: A Skald is a Bard subclass that requires a LOT of micromanagement, since it is best used by using an Offensive Invocation whenever he gets enough Phrases. That makes Konstanten perfect for a ship combatant, since his AI will fire off those Offensive Invocations whenever he has enough Phrases.
Maximizing his ability to score Critical Hits is crucial to making the most of his Skald capabilities. More Critical Hits means faster acquisition of Phrases, and that in turn means more frequent use of his Offensive Invocations. His build therefore emphasizes weapons and other items that either provide Accuracy bonuses or chances to convert Hits to Critical Hits.
The build I use here harmonizes both Bard and Barbarian abilities to maximize the chances of scoring Critical Hits. Brute Force is a passive that makes Melee Weapon Attack rolls against Fortitude instead of Deflection if the target's former is lower than the latter. And several of Konstanten's other abilities are meant to lower Fortitude as much as possible. Attacks made while under Spirit Frenzy will impose Staggered (-5 Might, cannot Engage) and result in a -10 hit to Fortitude. The Long Night's Drink Birthed the Revenge of Morning will impose the Weakened (-5 Constitution, Healing Received reduced by 50%) Affliction on all enemies within its area of effect, and that means another -10 hit to Fortitude. The Body Blows modal for using a Morningstar results in another -25 hit to Fortitude. The cumulative hits to Fortitude will often mean more Critical Hits, and that in turn means getting Phrases faster for Offensive Invocations as a Skald.
Evil Party: Core Members
Zarathos, M Death Godlike Ravager (Berserker / Helwalker)
Living on the Edge: A Death Godlike enjoys a +3 boost to Power Levels when at 25% or less Health. More Power Levels means more Damage with unarmed strikes as a Monk, and more Damage caused by the Barbarian's Carnage. The Barbarian's Blooded passive adds another 25% Damage when he's at 25% or less Health. The Reckless Brigandine Armor increases both his Armor Rating and his Melee Damage the closer and closer he gets to 0% Health.
His class abilities also push his own Health closer and closer to 25% and below. The Berserker's version of Frenzy upgrades it so that provides the Tenacious (+5 Might, +2 Penetration) Inspiration instead of just Strong (+5 Might) and the Hardy (+5 Constitution, +2 Armor Rating) instead of just Fit (+5 Constitution). But that comes at the cost of taking Raw Damage every few seconds while Frenzy is active, and getting the Confused (-5 Intellect, may attack allies instead of enemies) Affliction. But I can get rid of the Confusion with the Monk's Enlightened Agony.
The Helwalker enjoys +1 Might for every Wound that he has, and it will stack with other Might bonuses as it is considered a passive. But the Helwalker also takes more and more Damage the more Wounds he has.
This build enjoys a lot of attacking power the closer he is to 0% Health. And some of his class abilities push him closer and closer to that precipice. But all that power won't mean anything if he can't use it when he's knocked unconscious within moments.
The solution is the Priest's spell, Barring Death's Door, provided by Xoti. So long he is under the spell, he will not get knocked unconscious no matter how much more Damage he takes. And its duration can be prolonged endlessly through a loop that combines the Ancestor's Memory power provided Ydwin and the Salvation of Time spell provided by Xoti. More details on the loop will be explained during their character profiles below.
This suffices for most fights. But be aware that it can be undone by the Wizard's Arcane Dampener or Arcane Cleanse. So be ready to win with more conventional methods (e.g. crowd-control, healing) in those instances.
Critical Hits are another theme of the build. The Monk's Swift Flurry provides a 33% chance of an extra Melee Attack on scoring a Critical Hit, while the Monk's Heartbeat Drumming provides a 25% chance of triggering an extra Melee Attack on scoring a Critical Hit. The Barbarian's Interrupting Blows has a 50% chance of causing an Interrupt on scoring a Critical Hit. The Monk's Enervating Blows will cause the target to suffer the Weakened (-5 Constitution, -50% Healing Received) Affliction. Barbaric Smash is a Full Attack (attack with both hands) with +20% Damage, +50% Damage on Critical Hit, a 30% chance of converting a Hit to a Critical Hit, and a +50% area of effect for Carnage.
Another linchpin of the build is Bloodthirst. Landing a killing blow triggers the Barbarian enjoying instant Recovery after any and all actions for 10 sec. There will be the usual Recovery Time immediately after the killing blow itself. But once that Recovery Time elapses, that's when the 10 sec of instant Recovery begins. It often means Zarathos landing lots and lots of blows in a short period of time. In fact, it can often set off a chain reaction. He lands a killing blow to get temporary instant Recovery. He lands several highly damaging blows on his next target in rapid succession, and that kills another target, and that extends the period of Instant Recovery, and the next and the next. The chain reaction can sometimes wipe out whole groups of enemies faster than any area of effect offensive spell could.
So the build also maximizes the probability of landing that killing blow. A Death Godlike enjoys a 20% bonus to Damage when his target is at 25% or less Health. The Barbarian's Bloody Slaughter is a passive that provides a 20% chance of converting Hits to Critical Hits and +50% Critical Hit Damage, both against Near Death targets. The Action Speed bonus from Bloodlust will also trigger on scoring a killing blow. If Barbaric Smash was used to deliver the killing blow, then the Rage points spent on it will recoup. I script his character so that he will only use Barbaric Smash on a "near death" target.
Xoti, F Human Contemplative (Sister of the Dark Moon / Priestess of Gaun)
Wheel of Time: Although Xoti in this build is capable of some healing and offensive spells, and has melee combat capability, that's not her calling card for the evil party.
Both Xoti and Ydwin each form half of an infinite power loop. I start it by having Ydwin cast Ancestor's Memory on Xoti, which gives her the Brilliant Inspiration (+5 Intellect, +1 Power Levels, +1 class resource every six seconds). She then casts Salvation of Time on herself, each extending Ancestor's Memory by 10 sec for a total of 20 sec. The Ancestor's Memory begins to recoup any spells she may have cast before the loop started. That will often include Holy Meditation, Devotion of the Faithful, and a Barring Death's Door on Zarathos which is necessary for his build. Hopefully the 6th level spell slots that were spent on Salvation of Time will get recouped. Ydwin might have to cast an Ancestor's Memory on her again if it expires.
At some point Xoti will recoup all her spells. And at that point all she pretty much does is cast Salvation of Time to keep all of the buffs going. When she's only casting Salvation of Time as a 6th level spell slot, it's guaranteed to be the spell that gets recouped by Anscestor's Memory. And each casting of Salvation of Time will keep the Ancestor's Memory endlessly extended.
Sometimes, for especially intense fights, I gradually have Xoti work in a Barring Death's Door in between castings of Salvation of Time on each party member one by one until the whole party has it. No one in the party will fall no matter how much damage they take. And all the other buffs they have will also be extended endlessly.
It's as broken as it sounds. I can use it for most fights, but not all. One circumstance where I can't use it is when enemy Wizards can hit the party with either Arcane Dampener, which suspends the benefits of the Salvation of Time / Ancestor's Memory loop, or Arcane Cleanse which will wipe it out completely. In those instances I may have to use more conventional methods like crowd control + offensive spells + healing spells, etc.
Mirke, F Orlan Brawler (Monk / Fighter)
The Immovable Object: It's certainly easy to design a damaging two-handed weapon build that combines Monk and Fighter. Armored Grace reduces Recovery Time, while Heartbeat Drumming and Swift Flurry provide extra attacks. Some of the Mortification-based abilities use Primary Attacks, which two-handed weapons are well suited for.
The concept I have here is a Monk / Fighter multi-class tank build that maximizes both Armor Rating and Deflection. The body modal of Duality of Mortal Presence adds +1 Constitution for each Wound. Upgrade it to Iron Wheel, and the modal will add +0.3 Armor Rating for each Wound. That becomes +10 Constitution and +3 Armor Rating with 10 Wounds. Add the Patinated Plate upgraded with Bronze Juggernaut and several other items, and her Armor Rating will go through the roof. But the drawback of wearing the Patinated Plate is increased Recovery Time.
I get around that to a degree with Monk abilities that provide extra attacks on Critical Hits (e.g. Swift Flurry, Heartbeat Drumming). I also have her wield the Rannig's Wrath Rapier as her weapon of choice. Any Melee Attack against her that misses has a 10% chance of giving her instant Recovery. She can have her cake and eat it too to an extent.
Tekehu, M Marine Godlike Theurge (Watershaper / Stormspeaker)
Life and Death: Tekehu provides several buffs through both his Chanter Phrases and his Druid spells. And all can be extended infinitely through the Salvation of Time / Ancestor's Memory loop.
His offensive spells as a Watershaper will never harm fellow party members, which means he can plant them in the thick of combat with no worries.
I have him wield Sasha's Singing Scimitar with the Refreshing Finale enchantment added. That allows him to use an Empowered version of Her Tears Fell Like Rain once per encounter. And when he starts to accumulate certain items late in the game, that Empowered version of Her Tears Fell Like Rain will trigger several new buffs that will be extended endlessly through the loop.
And once the buffs get included in the loop, he can switch to the Phrase called Many Lives Pass By, Each Leaving Footprints that summons Skeletons non-stop.
The Psychic Vampire: Ydwin provides a crucial part of the infinite power loop that fuels the evil party during most battles, Ancestor's Memory which provides the Brilliant Inspiration (+5 Intellect, +1 Power Levels, +1 class resource per 6 sec). Xoti provides the other part, Salvation of Time.
Even so, Ydwin provides plenty of combat worthy powers in her own right. Phantom Foes can plant Flanked on a multitude of enemies. Amplified Wave can Prone a mass of enemies in an instant when needed. Disintegrate can doom a single powerful foe in a pinch.
Tactical Meld and Reaping Knives are buffs that can be extended endlessly by the loop.
The question for a single-class Cipher is how to gain Focus as rapidly as possible, and regain it rapidly as possible after using Cipher powers. In my opinion the best weapons are a Rod that can blast multiple foes more than once when facing multiple enemies in a crowd, and a War Bow with significant potential for instant Recovery when attacking single enemies. I do not want Ydwin close to enemy attackers to the extent that I can help it.
She also attends to the thieving needs for the evil party.
Evil Party: Ship Combatants
Eder, M Human Swashbuckler (Fighter / Rogue)
The Executioner: The Swashbuckler is a natural multi-class for going for lots of damage on enemy targets. This build revolves around the two-handed Battle Axe called Amra. A Critical Hit from the axe will inflict Raw Damage in a small radius around impact. But that damage explosion can be augmented by Fighter abilities like Weapon Specialization and Rogue abilities like Death Blows and Sneak Attack and Backstab.
Those Rogue abilities can come into play either through the Stealth class abilities, or with the Slippers of the Assassin once per battle.
The Fighter ability called Disciplined Strikes and the Rogue ability called Dirty Fighting both increase the chances of a Critical Hit. But causing the damage explosion from Amra can only trigger if it's a character with a Might score of at least 25 who lands the Critical Hit. Eder already has a pretty good Might score of 16. So the build emphasizes bringing his Might to 25 so that he can start triggering those explosions right away during ship battles.
Aloth, M Elf Spellblade (Rogue / Wizard)
Striking From The Shadows: A Rogue / Wizard is a glass cannon that when properly designed can dish out terrific damage, but can itself go down quickly as he or she will not have a lot of Health or much in the way of defenses. I often struggled to keep a Rogue / Wizard standing as a core party member, at least during Path of the Damned. But I don't mind having Aloth be that glass cannon as a ship combatant during my evil playthrough, as he won't have to worry about Injuries should he fall during a ship battle.
The concept is to whenever possible inflict Ranged Backstab Attacks that score double Damage. And often on multiple targets through the Ranged Weapons provided by the Kalakoth's Minor Blights spell. Backstabs become possible either after using Rogue talents that make him Invisible, or by triggering Invisibility with The Eye of Wael.
Both the The Eye of Wael and the Whitewitch Mask will increase his Illusion Power Levels, and thus empower his use of Illusion spells from Arkemyr's Grimoire.
The Porcupine: Sometimes a build can be organized completely around a single ability. A 9th-tier Barbarian ability is Barbaric Retaliation. It makes a Full Attack against any enemy who lands a Melee Critical Hit against the Barbarian. It is not by itself a big deal.
But equip the Barbarian with items like Sisyfo's Stone and the Ragged Cloak and Magnera's Chain and Ngati's Girdle, and suddenly LOTS of things are happening to whoever hits Serafen with a Critical Hit. He really does become a porcupine after a fashion.
And given that theme, I also encourage Critical Hits against him. The Sandals of the Water Lily incur a -10 penalty to all Defenses. Using the Half-Sword modal while wielding a Sword incurs another -15 penalty to Deflection.
And again I would be hesitant to play a core party member like this, but I don't mind for a ship combatant who won't sustain any Injuries should he be knocked unconscious during ship battles.
Maia, F Aumaua Scout (Gunhawk / Scout)
The Deadshot: The concept of a Ranger is usually to maximize damage on a single-target that is also threatened by the Ranger's Pet. Ranger and Rogue are natural fits. Many of the Rogue's own abilities such as Sneak Attack and Deathblows and Dirty Fighting can also augment the single-target damage from the Ranger's missile attacks. Backstabs still require at least being fairly close to the target, even if the Scout won't directly next to her target. The Rogue also has escape and teleport options. I did not find it necessary for Maia though, as I primarily used her as a ship combatant.
Maia's own Gunhawk subclass and equipment means she'll already be a quick reloader. You can take it further with talents and items that reduce her Reload Time and boost her Dexterity. If you want to use her as a core companion, it is worth thinking about including a Bard who can provide the Sure-Handed Ila Nocked Her Arrow Phrase.
Rekke, M Human Brute (Barbarian / Fighter)
You've Been Thunderstruck!: The Barbarian's Carnage power usually does not do much other than a small amount of damage to multiple enemies within a small radius of the initial Melee Attack. Most status effects from either class-abilities or weapons will not affect enemies hit by Carnage.
A notable exception is the Static Charge power of the Poleaxe called Lord Darryn's Voulge. Each Hit applies a dormant Static Charge effect on its target. The Static Charge won't damage the target right away. But each hit on the target will stack additional charges. It's not until the target is Critically Hit that all the charges detonate, and all charges cause stacking Shocking Damage to the target that has accumulated them. It might not be a big deal if it only affected single targets, since that would only be meaningful for bosses. But the Barbarian's Carnage power will put Static Charges on any targets affected by it. That makes it a weapon of choice for Barbarians, as they can build up static charges on multiple targets through Carnage, and then detonate them to devastating effect with a Critical Hit.
This particular multi-class build for Rekke emphasizes including Fighter abilities that can spread Static Charges to as many enemies as possible. The Mob Stance can make Full Attacks on all enemies within a certain radius upon making a killing blow. And that can mean multiple Carnages that spread the Static Charges around. Armored Grace and Mob Stance can both reduce Recovery Time and therefore make more attacks possible.
The Dirge of Horror: I went with a single-class Skald for Konstanten during the evil playthrough, as he's the only ship combatant that could possibly provide any healing capability. ... And Sip From the Marrow will heal nearby allies if it kills an enemy and causes it to explode.
Maximizing his ability to score Critical Hits is crucial to making the most of his Skald capabilities. More Critical Hits means faster acquisition of Phrases, and that in turn means more frequent use of his Offensive Invocations. His build therefore emphasizes weapons and other items that either provide Accuracy bonuses or chances to convert Hits to Critical Hits.
