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| Pillars of Eternity 2 Online Walkthrough by David Milward |
YDWIN, F ELF CIPHER
Stats
Abilities
1st Level - Tenuous Grasp: Her starting ability by default.
2nd Level - Lingering Echoes: Plenty of her powers inflict negative status effects, so it makes sense to take this passive to prolong their duration by 10%.
3rd Level - Draining Whip: Increases Focus gain from weapon attacks by 100%. This is the passive to take when you want your Cipher to emphasize spellcasting instead of physical combat.
Two-Handed Style: She'll benefit from the +20% bonus to Damage when she uses either her Rod to attack multiple foes, or her War Bow when attacking a single target.
4th Level - Phantom Foes: It puts the Flanked condition on multiple enemies over a very wide area. It basically becomes a primer for both her spells and Tekehu's spells. It can also set up enemies close to the front-line combatants in the party for getting mowed down quickly.
5th Level - Combat Focus: Adds one Concentration at the start of each Encounter. It's usually obligatory for any spellcaster who cannot immunize herself against Interrupts.
Hammering Thoughts: Adds +1 Penetration to her weapon attacks. And by extension that means enhancing her ability to gain Focus with her weapon attacks.
6th Level - Puppet Master: Dominates a single target for a significant duration. An enemy who hits hard but has a low Will score tends to be the perfect target. In fact, I sometimes run my mouse-clicker over enemies until I find that candidate. And it can be a real game changer as it can result in a significant number of your enemies having to turn their attention on the traitor. And from there other good things can flow. Sometimes the enemies have to gang up to take out their hard-hitting traitor, or the traitor himself wreaks some havoc before it wears off.
7th Level - Greater Focus: Adds +10 maximum Focus, which is a natural choice.
Silent Scream: This can be valuable in that it's the rare area-of-effect attack that both inflicts Raw Damage and Interrupts. It also Stuns its initial target. Its one drawback is that its casting range is quite short, so you can't rely on it to disrupt distant spellcasters. It really makes itself felt for enemies that have both closed in around the party and like to use activated powers.
8th Level - Tumbling: It provides a bonus to Deflection vs. Engagement Attacks. Ydwin is completely reliant on either her Cipher spells or Ranged Weapon Attacks during combat. And yet she doesn't have the ability to string together several buffs in an instant like a Wizard. So sometimes her only option is to simply walk away from enemies who are next to her, and risk Engagement attacks. The bonus provided by this passive will stack with the bonus provided by The Magnificent Escape Cape that she will acquire in the future, and considerably improve her chances of having Engagement Attacks miss her completely.
9th Level - Borrowed Instinct: It inflicts -8 penalties to both Intellect and Perception. The real point is that the Cipher herself gains +20 bonuses to both Accuracy and all Defenses. It can't be extended through Salvation of Time, since it ends once the target's penalties ends. So I may have to periodically renew it. On that point, whichever enemy has the weakest Will should be the target, so as to provide the longest lasting bonuses to the Cipher. I tend to use it as a primer before using other offensive powers.
Tactical Meld: Neither Barbarian nor Monk has any class abilities that provide Perception Inspirations. And Accuracy is important to both a Barbarian / Monk and a Cipher, so this power is an optimal way to get the Perception boost for both. The bonus Engagement isn't meaningful for a Cipher who spends most of her time with missile attacks or psionic powers at range. But boosting Engagement for Zarathos will boost the power of his Reckless Brigandine armor when he gets it, as well as his secondary weapon set. And this power can be extended by Salvation of Time.
10th Level - Keen Mind: Adds +10 bonus Focus at the start of each fight.
11th Level - Amplified Wave: This becomes her weapon of choice when faced with numerous hordes of enemies. It inflicts Crushing Damage and knocks enemies Prone in a very wide area-of effect.
Disintegration: It is arguably the most powerful single-target spell in the game. It inflicts hefty Raw Damage over time to the single target that tends to outpace any Healing it can receive, and will kill it outright if its Health is reduced to zero.
12th Level - Improved Critical: It can mean more damage when she lands Critical Hits with spells like Silent Scream or Amplified Wave. It can mean more damage when she attacks with her ranged weapons, and that in turn can mean more Focus.
13th Level - Ancestor's Memory: It allows her to put the Brilliant (+5 Intellect, +1 Power Levels, +1 Class Resource every 6 sec) on an ally. And that ally is typically Xoti. This is part of the foundation for how the evil party conducts battles during later stages of the game. The other foundation being Salvation of Time once Xoti gets it. It's simple and every bit as broken as it sounds. Once Xoti has Ancestor's Memory cast on her, she can prolong its duration with castings of Salvation of Time. And Ancestor's Memory will, especially if you can isolate Xoti's 6th-level spells as the only Priest Class Resource that needs to be recouped, replenish her 6th level spell slots. And that means Salvation of Time can be cast more times, which in turn means more extension of Ancestor's Memory. It's an endless self-regenerating loop that not only ensures Ancestor's Memory and Salvation of Time remain in play the whole battle, but every other beneficial effect or buff in place for all other party members will also get extended endlessly as long as they are in the area-of-effect of Salvation of Time.
The Empty Soul: Adds +10 to Accuracy for Cipher spells that target Will, which includes Puppet Master, Borrowed Instinct and Silent Scream.
14th Level - Rapid Casting: Although there are some Cipher spells with very fast casting times like Borrowed Instinct and Phantom foes, there are others that will benefit from this passive like Amplified Wave and Ancestor's Memory.
15th Level - The Complete Self: It recoups 5 Focus for any Critical Hits scored with her spells. And that can mean plenty of Focus recouped for area-of-effect spells.
16th Level - Time Parasite: It provides an additional option that involves a temporary boost to the Cipher's Action Speed while lowering the Action Speed of several enemies. It can't be extended by Salvation of Time though, because the buff is linked to the debuff that's applied to enemies. I chose it over Stasis Shell, because I figured that Puppet Master already provides an option against a singularly powerful enemy that targets the Will Defense.
A Soul's Echo: 15% of Hits by Cipher powers that target the Will defense will be converted to Critical Hits. Puppet Master and Silent Scream will benefit from this.
17th Level - Reaping Knives: It gives a character a pair of dual-wielded unique weapons that both inflict Raw Damage and add Focus for her whenever they connect for that Raw Damage. It can be a useful option to turn one of the party members into a Focus-generating battery for Ydwin during very long battles. And yes, it can be extended endlessly with Salvation of Time.
18th Level - Farcasting: Some of her powers are useful but have a somewhat short casting range. Silent Scream in particular will benefit from taking this passive.
19th Level - Shared Nightmare: It's a passive that increases the area-of-effect for all Cipher powers in proportion to the Cipher's present Focus. Amplified Wave, Silent Scream, Phantom Foes and her Rod Blasts will have incredible areas-of-effect when she maxes out her Focus.
Driving Echoes: I found the alternatives wanting. Applying two Afflictions to a single-target through Chains of Haunting is by now not really a big deal. And Death of a 1000 Cuts doesn't really seem to live up to its stated promise, and just found myself using Disintegration anyway. Driving Echoes raises a single ally's Penetration by a whopping +8, and it can be extended endlessly by Salvation of Time.
20th Level - Prestige: All her Cipher powers will now be augmented by a +1 bonus to Power Levels.
Inventory
Saint Omaku's Mercy: Looted from the Druids of Seasons at #6 in Bentbranch Bog. Her Rod blasts are the attack of choice against mobs of enemies tightly packed together. This War Bow is for when she needs to attack single isolated targets for Focus. The reasons why lie in the enchantments I select for it. Saint's Grace provides more Action Speed the lower Ydwin is in Health. And a Barring Death's Door from Xoti will keep Ydwin safe. Galawain's Harry provides a 50% chance of instant Recovery upon scoring a Critical Hit. It's the bow that in my opinion holds the greatest potential for highly damaging and rapid ranged attacks without losing Accuracy (like with the Hunting Bows modal).
Thaos' Headdress: Part of Aloth's starting equipment if he took over the Leaden Key as part of his Pillars of Eternity 1 history. The +5 bonus against Mind Afflictions for all allies within 5m is certainly welcome, as is the +1 boost to Intelligence for a Cipher. The bonuses for attacking Flanked enemies kick in after she's primed them up with Phantom Foes.
Protective Eothasian Charm: In a well at #2 in Gorecci Street. The key point is the +1 bonus to Perception it provides. It both improves her Accuracy and her ability to detect traps and hidden doors or items.
The Magnificent Escape Cape: Purchased from the Well-Supplied Traveller at #5 in Port Maje. It adds another bonus to her Deflection vs. Disengagement Attacks, which will help her to just walk away from her attackers when she needs to. The +50 bonus to Deflection triggers when she's below 50% Health. Its duration is low, but it can get extended endlessly by Salvation of Time in later parts of the game.
Effigy's Husk: In a hidden niche in a mausoleum, the entrance to which is at #14 in The Hanging Sepulchers. As a cloth armor it does not impose a Recovery Time penalty, which is always welcome for a spellcaster. I enchant it to provide resistance against Perception Afflictions, as Accuracy is important to Ydwin. I also enchant it so that all enemies within 5m suffer a -75% penalty to Healing Received, but only when Ydwin is herself at 25% Health or less. There will be battles where I have Xoti put a Barring Death's Door on everyone, and have that immunity to death for everyone extended endlessly through castings of Salvation of Time. And that concept makes me considerably more willing to use items whose power depends on the user being close to death. The robe's power will truly make itself felt if Ydwin is brought near death but actually has little to fear on account of an infinite Barring Death's Door.
Gloves of the Dungeon Warden: Purchased from Zidacco aboard the Deck of Many Things. The Lockdown power, which can inflict a long Stun effect on a single target, is interesting but it can only be used once per Rest. The real reason is the Accuracy bonus, which will enhance both Ranged Weapon Attacks and Cipher Spells.
Ring of the Marksman: Looted from Shrimp after defeating him at #25 in Queen's Berth during the Quest called A Bigger Fish. She's the natural choice for the ring as she uses ranged weapons exclusively. And more Accuracy on her ranged weapon attacks means she'll gain more Focus and more reliably for her Cipher powers.
Ring of Overseeing: Purchased from the Well-Supplied Traveller at #5 in Port Maje. It will increase the area-of-effect of a lot of her Cipher powers.
Upright Captain's Belt: A reward for completing the Symbols of Death Quest. Of all the characters in the evil party, Ydwin is the character I least want standing next to enemies who make melee attacks whenever I can help it. The immunity to any Push or Pull effects is an extremely welcome benefit for a spellcaster who doesn't want to fight in Melee, and definitely wants to minimize getting Engaged. The +1 bonus to Constitution is sugar on top.
Dreamwalker's Tread: In a chest at #12 in The Upper Bowels. The obvious benefit is the +2 to Stealth. The +1 to Athletics is sugar on top. I don't really have much use for the Feast of Dreams power, since it's once per Rest.
Improvements: I really wish I could make Ydwin an Ascendant, as the Ascendant status-effect would get extended by the loop allowing her to peel off her Cipher powers at will for the rest of each battle.
An interesting possibility is the Great Sword called Whispers of the Endless Path, if you're looking to create a melee-based Ascendant. Criticisms of the weapon rightly dismiss the area-of-effect as being so puny as to not make up for the lower damage compared to other Great Swords. But a maxed out Focus in combination with the Shared Nightmare passive means the area-of-effect attack of the weapon becomes enormous and actually worthwhile. It may definitely be worth keeping an Ascendent built on this basis in a party based on the Salvation of Time / Ancestor's Memory loop, as both the Ascendant status-effect and the expanded area-of-effect attack of Whispers of the Endless Path would be extended endlessly by the loop. The Ascendant could either peel off Cipher Powers at will without any loss of Focus, or attack hordes of enemies with her weapon, according to her preferences and the situation.
Beguiler: I'm not sold on the Beguiler, either as single-class or multi-class. Can shine in certain situations, but the dependency on situation tends to make me think that it falls behind the other Cipher subclasses. You would in any event need methods, either from the Beguiler or other party members, to impose Afflictions on the enemies before the Beguiler does her thing with Deception powers.
