Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

Don't look at Pathfinder, don't read about Pathfinder, don't even think about Pathfinder... 3 months later: argh stupid meathead Sarzaksys and its stupid pimpwhip! I need more CMD, rupture-restraints... and greeter-dispel HAS to land, also need to do something about the horrid wilting. Lemme try a new build, last time this time.

If you're employed and have even a sliver of OCD about getting things right this game will ruin you. Its a massive complex game that takes ages to play-through, let alone master.

At a story level its a pretty juvenile 'fight the monsthers' deal, dressed in all kinds of trash popular mythologies, but we don't play these for the story. Its all about getting a handle on the mechanics & trying to ruthlessly game it... or at least make it less about the d20 RNG (praise be upon it) and more about your decisions. There's also timing, which adds another layer of depth to your strategy, not as much as the previous game though. Your decisions can have profound effects later in the game (further necessitating replays), not always in predictable or logical ways (more replays).

The alignment system was my biggest gripe as its so ambiguous that the writers are even confused by it. Lawful-Good often being an oxymoron for example; I drop the L. Chaotic was especially problematic, where it seems some writers thought it meant freedom while others took it to mean nonsense. Chaotic paths/factions are also quite hierarchical & orderly, despite the dialogue.

Besides the great fx, artwork is a let-down as they've gone for a stodge style that's been done to death. The Midnight Isles especially was a wasted opportunity to design something special... not Disney-Middle-East with spikes & lava special.

Music is forgettable generic fantasy, except some of the tavern songs.

Class imbalance is another issue, but I suspect some are weak (Druids, Bards) because having several of them in the party would make it too easy otherwise. Melee/ranged classes with good intrinsics (Monk+Mutation-Warrior) will blast through most of the game without too much difficulty, even solo.

Game ran OK on Linux via Proton (thanks to Steam), but its pretty slow & janky compared to other titles with more demanding content.

Now, before uninstalling it, I should probably double-check to see if you really can't solo a Druid...

This is a good game with a lot of amazing lore and an in depth storyline. For me the gameplay however is a bit too much. I like the turnbased fighting and combat has a sense of depth but it is a bit too complicated for me. I can recommend it to fans of big stories.

The storyline is interesting, but the dialogue is sometimes delivered in a bad way, especially the voice acting is not that good in my opinion.

To me this game or franchise glows with potential but it wants to be too much at the same time, maybe?

I had never heard of Pathfinder before playing this game, but it is an interesting world to be playing in.

Fabulous in depth epic story with incredible amounts of lore packed in everywhere. More character building choices than any other game. Very decent graphics and a good tactical combat system. The only problem is why so much focus on making it extremely difficult? Even if I adjust things to make it easier I feel like I'm leaving 90% of the game out with difficulty levels right up to "Unfair." That's just silly and lost it 2 points. No one is going to do arithmetic to the point where they would play on the harder modes, especially with randomness mixed in.