Thanks ***** there's more coming but I think this is the last one using the Backers Beta the day one patch is going to change some minor things so I'm going to wait for it. As well as the standalone CC vids I'll be likely be discussing character builds and party class composition among other things in the LP I do.
As a main strategy, it seems quite lackluster doesn't it? But I went for a ranged group in a PotD playthrough for fun, and my wizard stood in as a meatshield occasionally. Giving her good starting deflection, a shield, veil (hardened) and the lvl 4 deflection spell makes her pretty much dodge all phys attacks, it's quite handy! You only swap this in and cast the spells when you're in need of some tanking right then and there. Very little HP is needed (for a tank) and she's still an effective caster. I suggest wizard tanking as a situational tool, which also means the per rest issue disappears. For the record, the pure ranged group beats the game.
The problem with Melee-wizard is that they are so dependant on all their buffs to survive, that by the time they're done applying the final buff, the first one has ran out of duration. Meanwhile your Wizard is doing nothing to aid your party in killing, thus taking up a slot in the party that could be filled with a much more effective addition to the party. And considering that Str determins the damage of spells in Pillars, a Wizard needs a passive that turns his int to str, but then you're stuck with the problem of getting a low int, which leads to all your duration-spells suddenly dropping fast. I've always been a huge fan of out-of-the-box builds, but with the character-system in Pillars, i just don't see how a melee-wizard could ever be a viable build compared to all the other classes.
This is a very old video actually back in the beta and the melee wizard got a lot of buffs since and patch 2.0 changed how certain attributes work. A frontline wizard is definitely viable last time I used one I used a Boreal Dwarf 10/19/3/10/18/18. Not great on damage output but genuinely survivable/useful.
While I appreciate the effort, I don't really think that a lot of people are going to try this one. Putting all talent points into spells to boost yourself to a level other classes naturally get to.
Oh I agree, this video is a bit different to the others, I tried to get that across perhaps unsuccessfully. I do think Obsidian want people to be able to create half decent melee wizards I wouldn't be surprised if they tweak things a bit more to make it more possible in future. With boosts in place I think the wizard may be able to outperform other traditional classes to the role occasionally. It needs a proper play through testing really, something I couldn't do here.
Really been enjoying the vids Macsen, the play through and the weird specs haha, would be interested in your take on some kinda of unconventional priest build maybe? Argh the 26th can't come soon enough!
Thanks Avanir1 I wouldn't say I know the Priest class that well yet, (The casters have 150+ spells between them could take a while :D ) they don't seem that flexible to me. Pike and a gun/staff and a bow and normal casters attributes probably is the way to go, I'll have to take a better look at them.
Yes man I do. Did you watch the video or just make a kneejerk reaction to attributes? If you think you can retain might with a melee/frontline wizard build without nerfing the melee aspect I'm all ears. All the wizards duration affliction and defense spells are still maxed with the INT. You'll find you have to make a compromise with something in this game for every build.
From reading some of Josh Sawyers posts on the melee wizard they definitely wanted it to work in Pillars I've tested out this build on Path of the Dammed a bit since the games release the killer really is the lack of health at 20 CON at lev 12 you'd only have about 546 ish which isn't really enough for even a secondary tank role at that difficulty imo.This video was really just to ask the question is it possible and to show how you'd go about creating one, arguably since you are much more likely to get hit on Path difficulty damage reduction may be where it's at e.g. fire god like even snow elf, deflection isn't enough. On normal you could probably get away with raising might. I wouldn't really recommend this build to anyone you're far better off using a conventional wizard with max out MIG/DEX/INT.
What is intelligence to boost the duration of your buffs good for if that 80+ second buff that you can only cast a limited amount of times per limited amount of rests instantly wears off the second the game decided that combat is over? Not being able to use the weakest one in every battle until 3 levels before the maximum of 12 just makes things even worse All those long-term buffs you can learn as a wizard are just the punchline of the joke that is the system of how this game handles "encounters". Being "in combat" is this weird state that you can never ever get out of if you can't kill the enemies, even if you go invisible, (which is the only way to lose enemies because everything runs faster than you and gets 50 free attacks if you dare to move while you're in this abstract state of being "engaged") run to the other side of the map and wait there for an hour you still can't leave because there's "activated" enemies on the other side of the map, you either win or die and that's it. It is so weird how this game doesn't really care about combat to the point of not really letting your characters gain levels by killing enemies rather than doing quests turns around and demands you finish your fruitless battles to the last enemy and how there is no way of bypassing enemies you can't sneak by. Talking makes you stronger in combat, combat just wastes your time but you can't build a character that, for example, talks themselves past encounters. It seems the poe team was more focused on "fixing" the "flaws" of baldurs gate that rather than improving on the good bits (that were held together by the "flaws").
Combats probably the most contentious area of the game some people like it some hate it for a huge variety of reasons. I haven't played Baldurs Gate so I didn't have the expectations associated with that game. The nearest isometric style game I'd played to Pillars was the Interplay turn based Fallout games so with frequent pausing the combat has similarities. A lot of people seem to be upset about the deflection nerfs and constitution changes in recent and upcoming patches. When I made this video a frontline Wizard was barely if at all viable. Now when the per encounter uses come in at level 9 it might potentially be the best frontline class with the right build. Planning on updating the annotations for these build videos in regards of the new patch and possibly doing more build videos around the time White March is released. I get the impression they'd have to do a lot of changes to the game to fix the faults you have with it, not a game for everyone I guess.
Great content, however I do not see any wizard class build with a focus on a more conventional spell caster from afar. Will you upload a video of that wizard type or only have the melee wizard ?
It's a video I always intended to make but never got round to. There is however a more conventional ranged wizard build found in the "attributes changes" video in the playlist though it's not in as detail as a video entirely to that purpose.
I spent years habitually pronouncing it wrong, even knowing the correct pronunciation (thanks to good old Gary Gygax!), it's just one of those words! I blame the French.
but why so much intellect? if you are going to play as melee wizard, isn't it supposed to fight mainly with melee.... area of effect and duration is almost useless for that purpose...
Well first of all... this is a very old video actually back in the beta and the melee wizard got a lot of buffs since and patch 2.0 changed how certain attributes work. A frontline wizard is definitely viable last time I used one I used a Boreal Dwarf 10/19/3/10/18/18. Not great on damage output but genuinely survivable/useful. To answer your question its roll is to defend against melee attacks and cast spells, if you're not interested in duration or area affect spells then you can ditch the intelligence but since a lot of spells need that including ones that help with defense in melee I wouldn't recommend it. You could make a build who's focus is to dish out melee damage specifically but it wouldn't be a good frontline build (use staff/pike) with the wizards constraints in all likelihood.
The shield accuracy penalty is correct, you get a bonus to accuracy when single weapon fighting with nothing in your offhand.
Great content. I looked all over the internet and your Character Creation guides are the best you can find. Keep going!
Thanks ***** there's more coming but I think this is the last one using the Backers Beta the day one patch is going to change some minor things so I'm going to wait for it. As well as the standalone CC vids I'll be likely be discussing character builds and party class composition among other things in the LP I do.
As a main strategy, it seems quite lackluster doesn't it? But I went for a ranged group in a PotD playthrough for fun, and my wizard stood in as a meatshield occasionally.
Giving her good starting deflection, a shield, veil (hardened) and the lvl 4 deflection spell makes her pretty much dodge all phys attacks, it's quite handy! You only swap this in and cast the spells when you're in need of some tanking right then and there.
Very little HP is needed (for a tank) and she's still an effective caster. I suggest wizard tanking as a situational tool, which also means the per rest issue disappears.
For the record, the pure ranged group beats the game.
The problem with Melee-wizard is that they are so dependant on all their buffs to survive, that by the time they're done applying the final buff, the first one has ran out of duration.
Meanwhile your Wizard is doing nothing to aid your party in killing, thus taking up a slot in the party that could be filled with a much more effective addition to the party.
And considering that Str determins the damage of spells in Pillars, a Wizard needs a passive that turns his int to str, but then you're stuck with the problem of getting a low int, which leads to all your duration-spells suddenly dropping fast.
I've always been a huge fan of out-of-the-box builds, but with the character-system in Pillars, i just don't see how a melee-wizard could ever be a viable build compared to all the other classes.
This is a very old video actually back in the beta and the melee wizard got a lot of buffs since and patch 2.0 changed how certain attributes work. A frontline wizard is definitely viable last time I used one I used a Boreal Dwarf 10/19/3/10/18/18. Not great on damage output but genuinely survivable/useful.
While I appreciate the effort, I don't really think that a lot of people are going to try this one. Putting all talent points into spells to boost yourself to a level other classes naturally get to.
Kordanor I think alot of people will try to play arround with unorthodox builds just for the fun of it.
Oh I agree, this video is a bit different to the others, I tried to get that across perhaps unsuccessfully. I do think Obsidian want people to be able to create half decent melee wizards I wouldn't be surprised if they tweak things a bit more to make it more possible in future. With boosts in place I think the wizard may be able to outperform other traditional classes to the role occasionally. It needs a proper play through testing really, something I couldn't do here.
Really been enjoying the vids Macsen, the play through and the weird specs haha, would be interested in your take on some kinda of unconventional priest build maybe? Argh the 26th can't come soon enough!
Thanks Avanir1 I wouldn't say I know the Priest class that well yet, (The casters have 150+ spells between them could take a while :D ) they don't seem that flexible to me. Pike and a gun/staff and a bow and normal casters attributes probably is the way to go, I'll have to take a better look at them.
man, do you even know that MIGHT contributes to damage of all classes in PoE?
Yes man I do. Did you watch the video or just make a kneejerk reaction to attributes? If you think you can retain might with a melee/frontline wizard build without nerfing the melee aspect I'm all ears. All the wizards duration affliction and defense spells are still maxed with the INT. You'll find you have to make a compromise with something in this game for every build.
From reading some of Josh Sawyers posts on the melee wizard they definitely wanted it to work in Pillars I've tested out this build on Path of the Dammed a bit since the games release the killer really is the lack of health at 20 CON at lev 12 you'd only have about 546 ish which isn't really enough for even a secondary tank role at that difficulty imo.This video was really just to ask the question is it possible and to show how you'd go about creating one, arguably since you are much more likely to get hit on Path difficulty damage reduction may be where it's at e.g. fire god like even snow elf, deflection isn't enough. On normal you could probably get away with raising might.
I wouldn't really recommend this build to anyone you're far better off using a conventional wizard with max out MIG/DEX/INT.
Mechanik 7 for wiz?
What is intelligence to boost the duration of your buffs good for if that 80+ second buff that you can only cast a limited amount of times per limited amount of rests instantly wears off the second the game decided that combat is over?
Not being able to use the weakest one in every battle until 3 levels before the maximum of 12 just makes things even worse
All those long-term buffs you can learn as a wizard are just the punchline of the joke that is the system of how this game handles "encounters".
Being "in combat" is this weird state that you can never ever get out of if you can't kill the enemies, even if you go invisible, (which is the only way to lose enemies because everything runs faster than you and gets 50 free attacks if you dare to move while you're in this abstract state of being "engaged") run to the other side of the map and wait there for an hour you still can't leave because there's "activated" enemies on the other side of the map, you either win or die and that's it.
It is so weird how this game doesn't really care about combat to the point of not really letting your characters gain levels by killing enemies rather than doing quests turns around and demands you finish your fruitless battles to the last enemy and how there is no way of bypassing enemies you can't sneak by.
Talking makes you stronger in combat, combat just wastes your time but you can't build a character that, for example, talks themselves past encounters.
It seems the poe team was more focused on "fixing" the "flaws" of baldurs gate that rather than improving on the good bits (that were held together by the "flaws").
Combats probably the most contentious area of the game some people like it some hate it for a huge variety of reasons. I haven't played Baldurs Gate so I didn't have the expectations associated with that game. The nearest isometric style game I'd played to Pillars was the Interplay turn based Fallout games so with frequent pausing the combat has similarities.
A lot of people seem to be upset about the deflection nerfs and constitution changes in recent and upcoming patches. When I made this video a frontline Wizard was barely if at all viable. Now when the per encounter uses come in at level 9 it might potentially be the best frontline class with the right build.
Planning on updating the annotations for these build videos in regards of the new patch and possibly doing more build videos around the time White March is released. I get the impression they'd have to do a lot of changes to the game to fix the faults you have with it, not a game for everyone I guess.
Great content, however I do not see any wizard class build with a focus on a more conventional spell caster from afar. Will you upload a video of that wizard type or only have the melee wizard ?
It's a video I always intended to make but never got round to. There is however a more conventional ranged wizard build found in the "attributes changes" video in the playlist though it's not in as detail as a video entirely to that purpose.
Another great guide, but is it not pronouced May lay. or mehl - ay? :P
Arguably it depends on the punctuation but yeah it's may lay.
I spent years habitually pronouncing it wrong, even knowing the correct pronunciation (thanks to good old Gary Gygax!), it's just one of those words! I blame the French.
but why so much intellect? if you are going to play as melee wizard, isn't it supposed to fight mainly with melee....
area of effect and duration is almost useless for that purpose...
Well first of all... this is a very old video actually back in the beta and the melee wizard got a lot of buffs since and patch 2.0 changed how certain attributes work. A frontline wizard is definitely viable last time I used one I used a Boreal Dwarf 10/19/3/10/18/18. Not great on damage output but genuinely survivable/useful.
To answer your question its roll is to defend against melee attacks and cast spells, if you're not interested in duration or area affect spells then you can ditch the intelligence but since a lot of spells need that including ones that help with defense in melee I wouldn't recommend it. You could make a build who's focus is to dish out melee damage specifically but it wouldn't be a good frontline build (use staff/pike) with the wizards constraints in all likelihood.