Difficulty Selection Table (Patch 3.7)
Don't just guess. Match your experience and goals with this table:
| Difficulty | IE Game Experience | Enemy Stats | Rest Bonus | Who should pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story Mode | None / First RPG | β40% HP, β25 Accuracy | Always active | Want the story, zero combat challenge |
| Easy | Casual players | β20% HP, β10 Accuracy | Always active | Want mechanics but no frustration |
| Normal β | Baldur's Gate 1 / 2 veterans OR quick learners | Default | 8 rests per chapter | DESIGNED default for first playthrough |
| Hard | Pathfinder / Kingmaker / Deadfire vets | +25% HP, +10 Accuracy | 6 rests per chapter | Second or third playthrough |
| Path of the Damned | Completed PotD before | +50% HP, +20 Accuracy, ALL afflictions | 4 rests per chapter | Min-maxers only. Not first run. |
| +Expert Mode | β | No hints / auto-pause off | β | Togglable with any difficulty |
| +Trial of Iron | β | Single save on death = delete | β | Roguelike players only |
Pro Tip
Pick Normal. You can adjust up to Hard or down to Easy at any time in the options. PotD is a one-way difficulty setting and cannot be reduced later.
Watcher Creation: Attributes Simplified
Forget everything you read on old Fandom wikis. Patch 3.7 confirmed that attributes are still governed by the "Might = all damage" and "Perception = hit chance" fundamentals that launched with the game.
| Attribute | What it does | Safe value (any class) | Never dump |
|---|---|---|---|
| Might | +3% all damage & +2% healing per point | 14β18 (DPS/healers) | Any class that deals or heals |
| Constitution | +5% endurance per point | 10β14 | Frontline tanks (16+) |
| Dexterity | +3% action speed per point | 12β16 | Never below 8 for casters |
| Perception β | +1 Accuracy & +1 Interrupt per point | 14 minimum | EVERY CLASS. Dump to 3 = miss everything. |
| Intellect | +5% AoE size & duration of effects | 10 (non-caster), 14+ (caster) | Ciphers/Wizards/Priests |
| Resolve | +1 Deflection & +Concentration | 10 (DPS), 16+ (tanks) | Main tank Engager characters |
Mistake #1: Dumping Perception
7 out of 10 new players dump PER because they think "I'm a Wizard, I don't attack." Graze chance in PoE is 50% of normal damage. If your spells graze, they deal half damage and last half duration. 14 Perception on every single character is non-negotiable.
Culture & Background (Free Stats!)
Culture gives you +1 attribute. Background gives a starting skill bonus. Best picks for beginners:
- The White that Wends β +1 Might. Best for DPS builds across all classes.
- Deadfire Archipelago β +1 Dexterity. Great for Rogues/Monks.
- Old Vailia β +1 Intellect. Casters and Ciphers love this.
- Aedyr β +1 Resolve. Paladins and Fighter tanks.
Background skill: Athletics, Lore or Mechanics. Mechanics is the most impactful β you open chests without needing a Rogue companion.
Act 1 Party Setup (Easiest Comp)
You start alone. You'll have a full party within 2 hours. Recruit in this order to minimize Act 1 pain:
- Step 1 (0h): Finish prologue. Reach Gilded Vale.
- Step 2 (1h): Immediately go to Magran's Fork β recruit Eder (Fighter Tank) in the tavern. He is free, and he makes every fight 3Γ easier.
- Step 3 (1.5h): Go to the Black Hound in Gilded Vale β recruit Aloth (Wizard) upstairs. His fan of flames solo-clears Act 1 enemy packs.
- Step 4 (2h): Return to the starting road β find Durance (Priest) by the roadside shrine. Healing secured.
With these 3 + your Watcher, you're already stronger than 95% of the game's encounters. Later add Pallegina, Kana and Sagani.
Mistake #2: Fighting the Raedric Fight Too Early
Literally every beginner does this. Lord Raedric's Hold is a Level 6+ dungeon. Gilded Vale sends you there at party level 3. The correct order is: do every other side quest in the Vale first (Wailing Banshee, the Smith's quest, the Medreth quest, the Bear cave), hit Level 4β5, clear Magran's Fork, do Caed Nua, then go back to Raedric. You'll one-shot the fight.
Gold Guide: Never Be Broke
The game wants you to think gold is scarce. It's not if you know the tricks:
- Loot EVERYTHING β even rusty swords. 10 copper items add up. Full-clear every dungeon before leaving.
- Sell to Heodan first (caed nua merchant) β he has the best buyback rates.
- Do not buy gear below Level 8. White March DLC replaces your inventory at 12 anyway.
- Stronghold Taxes from Caed Nua will eventually give you passive gold income. Upgrade the Gardens first, then Walls, then Barracks.
- One big payday: Sell the unique Sanguine Plate + Golden Gaze you don't use for 6,000+ copper each.
First 20 Hours Checklist
| Hours | Milestone | Don't skip |
|---|---|---|
| 0β2 | Gilded Vale quests + Eder/Aloth/Durance recruited | Black Hound tavern secrets |
| 2β5 | Clear all Vale side quests, enter Caed Nua | Stronghold tutorial (read it) |
| 5β8 | Complete Magran's Fork, recruit Kana | The dragon cave (optional but rewarding) |
| 8β12 | Defiance Bay, recruit Pallegina & Sagani | Do Heritage Hill before anything else |
| 12β20 | Act 2 main quests, unlock White March I | Get all companions before starting White March |
Beginner FAQ
Normal. This is what Obsidian designed for first-time players of Pillars of Eternity specifically (unlike, say, Pathfinder Wrath's "Normal" which is Hard). Story/Easy trivialize combat; Hard/PotD punish lack of knowledge. Normal hits the sweet spot, and you can always bump it up mid-game.
Fighter (unkillable, self-healing), Cipher (damage beast that teaches you the game's soul-based resource loop) or Paladin (Flames of Devotion hits like a truck, supports party). Avoid Monk, Barbarian and Druid for your very first playthrough β they demand specific builds and knowledge of afflictions.
Absolutely. The game is not complete without them. You need to progress past Caed Nua and reach a certain point in Defiance Bay before they unlock, but having them installed from the start guarantees no quest/state bugs. White March 1 is accessible around party Level 7, White March 2 around 10.
Rest gives you the "Well Rested" +2 all-attributes bonus. On Normal/Hard, you get 8/6 "free" rests per map chapter. After that, you can still rest but lose the bonus. Always rest at inns when visiting a town, not in the field β inns give stacking bonuses (+1 Might from meals, +3 Accuracy from beds).