Larian Studios Forums Divinity 2 - Ego Draconis (English) Help/Tips/Tricks Help build char

Ok i am starting to think that i do several things very wrong :p
everyone is telling me this game is easy while i am just getting owned!
I wanna be pure ranger so does this mean i'll have to be pure dex? or add some vit? or mix everyting? And what is it about those skills? Nobody gets attack skills but only lik mindreading and stuff, so don't you need attack skills?
Don't seem to understand the char customization topic so can somebody explain this in noob language?

Thanks, sorry for all those questions!

I have been experimenting with different powers and stats. Here is what I think:




There are 2 options-

1. Pure Dexterity

Pros:
(1) Very nice critical strike damage,
(2) Weapons very easy to find,
(3) Good defense against enemy archers.

Cons:
(1) Mana will be tricky to manage, so ability usage will suffer,
(2) Have to carry a large number of mana potions,
(3) Will be bad at melee, if you need to / like to do melee sometimes,
(4) Skill choices will be limited in respect to skill effectiveness.

2. Mostly Intelligence + Some Dexterity

Pros:
(1) Mana will regenerate very fast, so you can use lots of abilities,
(2) For the same reason, do not have to worry about potions that much,
(3) Very good base damage,
(4) Can also use magical spells with great effectiveness,
(5) Can use melee very well if needed,
(6) Good Magical defense.

Cons:
(1) Weapons are not very hard to find, but they are less in number than normal bows,
(2) Bad critical strike damage bonus.


Now let me explain why. Most weapons do 2 types of damage: Ranged / Melee and Magical. For example-

Ranged Damage: 7-10
Magical Damage: 4-5

This will be your choice of weapon if you go pure Dex Ranger. Dexterity boosts Ranged Damage, and Intelligence boosts Magical Damage.

So, if you build an Intelligence Ranger, your choice of weapon will be-

Ranged Damage: 4-5
Magical Damage: 7-10


Though you can play both types well, I would recommend Intelligence because it boosts Mana Regeneration (which is only boosted by Intelligence), spell damage and the magical damage of weapons. If you build a Dexterity Ranger, you have to put points in Intelligence to get better mana regeneration.

You don't need Strength when building a Ranger. Get some skill points in the Regenerate skill and you will get good health regeneration. Use armor that boosts your melee resistance if you need.

Vitality and Spirit are somewhat important. You can increase them a bit from time to time. But prefer Dexterity if Dex Ranger or Intelligence if Int Ranger.

Thanks i'll think i will go for the int ranger!
And for skills i'll just take the once who suit my play style?

Forgot to mention- as there are melee weapons with Magic Damage too, you can use them just as well if you go for Intelligence and if you need to melee. Also, I am told that the damage boost from Intelligence is higher than that of Dexterity. I am not sure.




As skill points can be reset later (You can NOT reset stat points- so choose Dex or Intelligence at start), you may experiment with them a bit.

I am not listing all the skills here. You can check different guides for discussion on them.

For low level Rangers, here are my advice:


1. Poison Arrow: Good if you keep getting points in it, as you will be spending a lot of time with your bow.

2. Ranger Strength: Not bad, but as far as I know, the damage boost is for Ranged Damage, that is Dexterity damage. If you are building an Intelligence Ranger, don't bother with this one.

3. Stun Arrows: Good for 'kiting' Take if you are pure Ranger. Not sure if it works against bosses.

4. Ranger Stealth: This is a wonderful skill. Take it as soon as possible. You will get sneaked upon a lot less. Note that you need to be equipped with a bow for this talent to work.

5. Potion Efficiency: Not that good in low levels. Take only if you have spare skill points.

6. Ranger Surprise: No, thank you.

7. Hide in Shadows: One point must. Good as a panic button.

8. Summon Ghost: Good choice as a summon. It attacks AND heals you from time to time.

9. Lockpick: Yes. At least level 3 for Broken Valley. If you see some chests that require a higher level, mark it in map and come back later.

10. Fireball: Only if you feel you need an Area of Attack spell. You can live without it.

11. Magic Blast: My personal favorite. Specially for tough / high level enemies. Take it if you want. Not absolutely necessary.

12. Wisdom: No.

13: Mindreading: No.

Special: I know some rangers who take Mana Leech (Melee damage will regenerate mana) skill at level 10. This is tricky. You can take mana leech 1 point. Then if you are low on mana, just go melee, keep hitting them as you regenerate and then get back to bow.





Eh.... if you were referring to my post, well it was an experiment. I was playing without attack skills to see how useful Wisdom and Mindreading are and to see how hard the game is. The game is fairly easy even without attack skills. So, now I restarted in Hard mode with attack skills and spells (I play a warrior-mage). Wisdom and Mindreading are almost worthless.



Also keep an eye on this topic: Skill Books/Stat Books/Dragon Skill Books Complete. Try not to miss any books.


Ask if you have any questions. I am still experimenting a lot with the game. So, I'll try and help.

Cool. I'm playing Intelligence Warrior and you Intelligence Ranger! We can share our stories and experience!

Just thought I would mention that you can also have a strength ranger. Strength improves damage done by bows but in a different way.

10. Fireball: Only if you feel you need an Area of Attack spell. You can live without it.

According to what I heard Explosive Arrows is one of the best AOE skills in the game, so you could take this instead of fireball.

Umm STR boosts range damage? Tell me more plz, or point me to more info.

Dex is your main skill for pure Ranged damage......build INT with that for building the (magic) aspect of your skills...and of course STR will help power up ranged shots.. That is IF we are talking Ranger Bow character here.

My experience shows that Fireball AND Explosive Arrows will mow down a crowd with nearly the same effectiveness. As a mage i wouldnt dare be without FIREBALL!!!!!!!!!
Ive ran through 2 Mages now with just Magic Missile, Fireball, and Firewall as high as i could get them and +5 mana efficiency... with +5 Destruction.... Wham Bam thank you maam!!!! LOL