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| Pillars of Eternity 2 Online Walkthrough by David Milward |
MAIA, F AUMAUA SCOUT (GUNHAWK / ROGUE)
Stats
Abilities
1st Level - Wounding Shot: A starting ability by default.
Crippling Strike: A starting ability by default.
2nd Level - Vicious Companion: Ishi gains +15% Damage and +2 Penetration.
3rd Level - Merciless Companion: It allows Ishi to add +30% Damage when attacking targets vulnerable to Sneak Attacks, which is quite easy to set up during ship combat.
4th Level - Gunner: It will reduce the Reload Time for using an Arquebus.
Two-Handed Style: Will add +20% Damage for Maia as she'll use an Arquebus exclusively.
5th Level - Marksman: It adds +5 Accuracy for when she attacks a target more than 4m distant. That will be very frequent during ship combat.
6th Level - Protective Companion: Adds +1 Engagement for Ishi, but the real point is that it's a prerequisite for Stalker's Link.
7th Level - Predator's Sense: Allows Ishi to score an extra 50% damage on targets suffering from a damage over time effect.
Dirty Fighting: A 15% chance to convert Hits to Critical Hits is always welcome as a passive.
8th Level - Defensive Bond: It provides both Ishi and herself with +10 to all Defenses vs. area-of-effect attacks.
9th Level - Resilient Companion: Increases Ishi's Armor Rating by +2.
10th Level - Stalker's Link: She now enjoys +10 Accuracy when firing her gun at an enemy threatened by Ishi. And Ishi also gains +1 Engagement.
Adept Evasion: Converts 100% of Grazes from attacks vs. her Reflexes to Misses. This passive is especially powerful in conjunction with Defensive Bond, which increases Defenses vs. area-of-effect attacks and thereby increases the odds of bringing a Reflexes damaging attack down to a Graze and then a Miss. Enemy spellcasters will be hard put to damage her with elemental or raw damage attacks that target Reflexes.
11th Level - Strengthened Bond: It raises the bonus to Defenses vs. area-of-effect attacks from +10 to +15.
12th Level - Concussive Shot: It forces an Interrupt upon Grazing its target for the cost of 1 Bond. But the real point is that it's a prerequisite for Concussive Tranquilizer.
13th Level - Driving Flight: A passive whereby any Ranged Weapon Attack that hits will result in the projectile passing through for another Ranged Weapon Attack on a nearby target, but for less damage. This passive would certainly work better with a weapon like The Red Hand since that would mean not only two original attacks, but two bounce attacks as well. I might insist on it were Maia a core party member. But I don't mind less than optimal or perfect builds for characters who are mostly ship combatants.
Uncanny Luck: A passive that provides both a 5% chance to avoid any attack completely, and a 5% chance to convert a Hit to a Critical Hit. Note that I don't take Deep Wounds, which would be my usual choice for Rogue builds at this point, because her really low Intellect owing to her Ring of Mule's Wit means it won't really have any meaningful duration.
14th Level - Faithful Companion: Ishi gains Resistance to both Intellect and Perception Afflictions.
15th Level - Shot on the Run: It's a passive that reduces the Reload Time Penalty for reloading a gun or crossbow while moving. And that will be frequently for a gunslinger managed by the computer's A.I. during ship battles.
16th Level - Survival of the Fittest: It's a passive where when she herself is less than 50% Health, her attacks will have a +10 bonus to Accuracy against enemies who are themselves below 50% Health.
Improved Critical: She also takes Improved Critical. She has several boosters to Accuracy as it is, which means she will get her share of Critical Hits. Adding +10% to Critical Hit Damage is therefore very sensible.
17th Level - Concussive Tranquilizer: It upgrades Concussive shot so that it not only Interrupts on Graze, but it also reduces the duration of the target's beneficial effects by 30 sec. Can be really useful against the enemy spellcasters who regularly show up during ship battles.
18th Level - Tough: More Health is likewise always a good thing for any character.
19th Level - Deathblows: It adds 50% Damage to her weapon attacks to targets that have two or more Afflictions. She'll have to rely primarily on Crippling Strikes to place at least one Affliction on her targets directly. Other party members also have methods of forcing Afflictions on enemies during ship combat.
Superior Camouflage: It adds +8 Deflection against ranged attacks for both the Ranger and her pet.
20th Level - Spell Resistance: It provides a 10% chance to avoid the effects of any hostile spell outright.
Inventory
Acina's Tricorn: Purchased from Vektor at #2 in Tikawara. The +5 Ranged Accuracy and -10% Reloading Time fit like a glove for her.
Night Market Amulet: Part of Eder's starting equipment if his Pillars of Eternity 1 history meant that he restored his faith in Eothas. Its +1 bonus to Stealth will ultimately help her reach a maximum Stealth rank of 30, which helps her get the utmost out of her Sharpshooter's Garb.
Sharpshooter's Garb: Part of her starting equipment. She wears it for the rest of the game. It reduces her Reload Time for her Arquebus. The Low Profile enchantment also adds bonus Deflection against missile weapons, and that bonus scales with her Stealth score.
Gauntlets of Accuracy: Obtained after defeating the Woedican Agents in Neketaka. She already has other items and abilities that add Accuracy to her ranged attacks. Adding more Accuracy through these Gauntlets makes her even deadlier.
Ring of Focused Flame: Stolen from a chest at #3 in The Dark Cupboard. The ultimate plan is to have her use the Dragon Dowry as her weapon. Its attacks are key-worded as Fire, so the ring will add +10 Accuracy. I might prefer her to wield The Red Hand if she were a core party member. But I don't mind this set up for someone who for the most part will be limited to ship combat. And my plans usually involve finding ways for my ship combat companions to use equipment that my core party won't, which includes this ring.
Ring of Mule's Wit: Purchased from Zidacco aboard the Deck of Many Things. Confers Resistance to Intellect, Perception and Resolve Afflictions, but at the cost of a -8 penalty to Intellect. The ring can be a good and solid one for a character whose abilities do not in any way involve either duration or area-of-effect. And her build is all about highly damaging single-target strikes from a distance.
Sash of Judgment: Purchased from Zidacco aboard the Deck of Many Things. It increases her Damage by 10% against enemies above 50% Health, but enemies above 50% will themselves enjoy +10% Damage against her. That 10% Damage bonus will be more meaningful for a highly-damaging weapon like her Arquebus, and I don't mind the drawback for somebody who participates mostly in ship combat.
Boots of Stealth: Found on a dead body at #7 in the Fort Deadlight. The +2 bonus to Stealth accentuates her use of the Sharpshooter's Garb.
Single-Class Alternatives: Some of the 8th and 9th level abilities can inform a preference for a single-class Ranger. Heart Seeker can damage multiple enemies in a line. Shadowed Hunters provides both the Ranger and her Pet with respite from the battle by rendering them both Invisible and then healing them over time. Stunning Shots is a passive that can inform a ranged Interrupt build. I decided on the balance that I preferred Maia as a Scout multi-class.
A melee-based single class Ranger is also available. The Stalker subclass is a natural for this style. The Antelope may be the best animal for taking advantage of the +5 Deflection and +1 Armor Rating for keeping the Antelope close to its master. Be sure to get Faithful Companion and Resilient Companion for it as well. Bonded Fury as well once it's available. Hunter's Claw and then Beast's Claw will help the Stalker when faced with certain types of enemies. Whirling Strikes will provide a sweeping Melee Attack to all enemies close to the Ranger.
An Arcane Archer is a class that can go either single-class or multi-class depending on how you structure the build. A single-class Arcane Archer will tend to prefer a ranged weapon that is also keyworded as an elemental attack to avoid the -5 Accuracy penalty when the Archer isn't making Imbued Attacks. Examples include the Dragon's Dowry (Fire) Arquebus, the Essence Interrupter (Electricity) Hunting Bow, and the Frostseeker (Cold) War Bow.
An intriguing possibility is the Arbalest called Spearcaster. The reason being that the Accuracy bonus from the weapon that scales with the Arcana skill will stack with the Accuracy bonus for making an Imbued Attack, a class feature of Arcane Archer, that also scales with the Arcana skill. The preference may be to multi-cass with another class that can itself make keyworded elemental attacks. An obvious example is to multi-class with the Bleak Walker Paladin subclass. Flames of Devotion, including with missile attacks, is keyworded as a Fire attack. You can wear the Ring of Focused Flame for yet another Accuracy boost, as well as any items that boost the Arcana skill (e.g. The Left Hand of the Obscured. The Bleak Walker's version of Flames of Devotion also scores an extra +12% Corrosive Damage.
Possible Geomancer Alternative: A distinct possibility for a Ranger / Wizard multi-class centers around the Soulbound Arquebus called Blightheart. Binding it to the Wizard class means one of its powers will add a bonus 10% Corrosive Damage to all attacks made, including Wizard damaging spells. One reason I didn't is that its last upgrade requires making 10 Empowered Attacks, which makes it a no go for a no rest run. Would be great for a rest run though. The second reason I didn't is that Maia's Intelligence score is terrible. I whenever possible avoid giving ship combatants abilities that can hurt their fellow party members. And between the Wizard spells and Blightheart's Living Wood attack, a 20% chance with each attack to unleash a cone that scores Corrosive Damage on friend and foe alike, that was going to be a given with Maia. I regard Fassina as an exception I can live with, but only with a lot of justification.
