We will take a look at these in the next section, but for now let’s focus on Abilities.Ĭiphers by and large have three Ability types that shape their Class (these are also affected to some degree by your Subclass).
Ciphers have 3 Subclasses to choose from, or you can choose not to take a Subclass. How much Focus you begin combat with, how much your maximum is, and how much your spells cost are all affected by your Subclass. These numbers will increase every time you level up.Įach time a Cipher levels up they will gain not only new Abilities, but also the amount of Focus they begin combat with, as well as the maximum Focus they can have. You can see on the bottom left here the amount of focus I begin combat with (7) and the maximum Focus I can have (30). More powerful spells cost more Focus, so building Focus quickly is of the utmost importance. This means that Ciphers will have to balance the use of their spells and weapon attacks in order to be effective.
Whenever they cast a spell they will subtract the Focus cost from their accumulated Focus, and each time they attack with a weapon they will gain Focus based on the damage they deal. Ciphers always begin combat with a fixed amount of Focus and have a maximum they can acquire during each encounter. They are a solid choice for the player who wishes to have a “pure caster” Build, or for the player that would like to augment their martial Class with some spells and buffs.Ĭiphers use Focus for their resource, just like they did in the previous game, and Focus allows them to cast spells. Because they gain bonus damage with Weapons, they lend themselves very well to Multiclassing, particularly with Classes that use Weapons as their primary means of damage. Cipher Builds and How They WorkĬiphers in Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire are a “spell casting” Class that specializes in dealing damage, controlling and debuffing enemies, and buffing their fellow party members.
They are not as overwhelming as you would think at first glance. Nomber_key:000081Ĭiphers have great flexibility in what they can do and have some amazing Crowd Control abilities.