Larian Studios Forums Divinity: Original Sin 2 Divinity - Original Sin 2 - General Backstab talent removed?

I may be missing something but as far as I can tell the backstab talent has been removed? Are scoundrels being compensated in anyway for this?

I usually roll a scoundrel and in my last DOS2 run I tried to use a scoundrel without that talent, frankly pointless to even bother.

Has it really been removed?

They don't need the talent to backstab.

In otherwords Scoundrels aren't given a tax just to be scoundrels.

It may just be me but it seems like they screwed up when they removed it. Backstabs aren't doing any additional damage as far as I can tell, throwing knives are doing less damage with supposed backstab crits than is even listed in the description.

That is to say, at 5-7 damage the backstab crits with throwing knives are doing 4 damage. Either broken or massively nerfed from EA.

You're complaining about a nerf we all knew was incoming. And you're complaining about a talent no longer being required to automatically backstab for critical damage. You're also probably still using level 1 shivs like I am on my Rogue. So... what's the issue? Game too hard now that you can't lolfacerollRogue any more?

My issue? Why don't you try comparing them to other classes? Shield throw for example hits multiple targets from range for more damage than throw knives can backstab a single target. Stealth takes an entire turn of AP to activate, worthless. I can walk up and smack targets with a two hander for more than I can backstab them with a pair of daggers since the offhand barely does anything.

Obviously I'm going to keep playing, maybe I'm jumping the gun. Doesn't take a math wiz to see when you're underperforming compared to your fellow characters though, will most likely be rerolling to marksman before I get to invested in this character.

Throw knives supposedly backstabs but does less damage doing so than it even says it does in the description.

Yeah Shield Throw does a LOT of damage...

As the only amount of good damage a shield user is going to dish out.

Anyhow do not underestimate the damage potential of the scoundrel.

This is a good change, in my opinion. Thanks, Larian!

Yeah, and the nerf was very needed.
Else we would have whole forums of ninja scoundrels and everyone screaming how op and gamebreaking they are.

Fighters and two handers should be dealing the most direct physical damage, not scoundrels.

How are other starting talents? Any other changes - improvements? Or tis the same cr... stuff as in EA?

Level 5 with decent daggers and Rogues are scaling just fine... plus the game recommends Pawn as your first Talent which is amazing for a Rogue. No complaints here...

Keep in mind that auto crit if you backstab - scoundrel scales your crit damage and dex+dual-wield scale your damage, dodge, and movement.

The nerf on mage and rogue will only make the third op meta, that is stealth archers =.= oh the memory of skyrim.

So what is most broken and OP build now? Archers?

Shame they nerfed Rogue I wanted to play as one...

I'm abusing low health buffed archer just to cheese fights that are too hard.

Drop your health down to 15% something
Get a good bow.
Get a bunch of wits (to start first) and finesse (damage)
Use Haste
Use Death Wish (Get a necromancer 2 to use it on you if you don't have it)
Use Rage (For more damage)

If your hand is fast enough or if your enemy is stuck in it's "SOMEONE PICK POCKETED ME" animation, you can get 2 shots out before the fights begin, 3 if you're in a hard to see location.

At level 4 (no rage yet), my 13 finesse 16 wits lizard was dealing 67 crit shot with Death Wish on at 15% health. When you count in that at level 5 I will have rage to guarantee those crit shot, I get up to 5 shots at the start of the fight with animation canceling, I get 67*5 = 335 damage in before I press the retreat button with the left over AP. If the fight is no longer that difficult, I just do it normally.

Yeah it's cheap and broken but if Knilles is going to deal 150 damage per turn to me at level 4, I'm going for 300 damage.

lol they didn't nerf rogue, they balanced it. Lvl 5 currently as a rogue and can roflstomp most enemies now with a decent dagger pair + adrenaline + back stabs