Multiclassed Rangers Animal Companions are (currently) exactly on the same level and it is therefore recommeded to multiclass a Ranger if not for the last few abilities (Twinned Shot)
Lion / Bear / Boar: bigger character models hinder your other melee fighters in getting to your enemies, make it easier for your enemies to focus on the Animal Companion and increases the chance your Animal Companion is within enemy spells AoE, especially true for the Lion, which is no tank, and especially in narrow areas.
Lion: not recommended for the above reason; compared to the Wolf it deals less damage.
Antelope: recommended; while not as tanky as the Bear / Boar, it has a smaller character model diameter, +10 to all defenses are 3.33 levels worth of Deflection / Fortitude / Reflex / Will.
Bear: highly recommended; +2 Armor, also useful to counter high weapon penetration; compared to the Boar it has very high Damage.
Boar: highly recommended; Regenarates 41.2 HP per minute of combat, very useful for a tank but it has very low Damage.
Stag: not recommended; Carnage AoE is negatively affected by the Stags low Intelligence (-50% AoE); Carnage attacks usually do 33% of the main attack damage but the Stag has one of the lowest main attack damage to begin with.
Wolf: highly recommended; highest Damage packed in a small character model.
Attribute Points
You are granted a pool of points to spend across your attributes where you see fit, to further customize your character. Attributes consist of:
Might: A character's physical and spiritual strength. Affects Damage with all attacks, Healing, and the Fortitude defense.
Constitution: A combination of the character's overall health and stamina. Affects Endurance, Health, and the Fortitude defense.
Dexterity: An abstraction of a character's hand-eye coordination, balance, and overall grace. Affects Action Speed and the Reflexes defense.
Perception: A character's senses, as well as their instinctive ability to pick up on details. Affects Accuracy with all attacks, the Range of all non-melee spells and abilities, and the Reflexes defense.
Intellect: A character's logic and reasoning capabilities as well as their tactical instincts. Affects the size of all Area of Effects and the Will and Deflection defenses.
Resolve: A character's inner drive, determination, and the emotional intensity they can project to others. Affects Concentration (to resist Interrupts), Durations of all spells and abilities, and the Will defense.
Bonus In-game Pets
Console commands for some extra pets. There are three bonus pets that I know. Open the console and type in the following.
Cosmic dog - gives you Comet:
Adds 1 might to the player character and the party gains bonus deflection against enemy weapon attacks.
Cosmic bird - gives you Orbit:
Adds 1 perception to the player character and makes the party move faster.
Cosmic cat - gives you Luna:
Adds 1 dexterity to the player character and gives the party a chance for enemy weapon attacks to graze.
Note: These console commands do not disable achievements.
Console Cheats
The console commands in Pillars 2 works similar to the way they did in the first game. WARNING - Just enabling cheats will disable all steam achievements from the point forward. You will need to hit the ` key to open up the console to enter codes. The codes where you are targeting a player you will need to be specific ie you can not just type the character's name or player it needs to be Player_Character for the codes to work. There are many codes available I just put a couple below. If you start typing in the console it will show codes that are available for each letter as you start typing it out to remind you. Hitting up will bring up recent typed codes if you want to increase stats quickly one after another without retyping everything.
Code
Effect
AttributeScore [playername] [attribute] [amount]
Sets desired attribute score remove [] see note above on selected char.
Skill [player] [Skill name] [amount]
Sets desired skill amounts.
god
turns off damage for player and all companions.
iroll20s
enable cheats for the game (this save only)
Keyboard Shortcuts
- - Zoom out.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 - Selects the party member associated with that slot. For example, pressing "1? will select the party member farthest to the left.
= - Zoom in.
A - Switches the mouse cursor from its normal mode into attack mode. When attack mode is active left-clicking on a character will force an attack against it. After one attack, the cursor switches back into normal mode.
Alt - Toggles Scouting mode.
Arrow Keys - Pan the camera in the arrow key direction.
BackQuote / Tilde - Toggle Console
Backspace - Selects all party members.
C - Toggles the currently selected party member's character sheet. This sheet displays all of the statistics related to the member.
Ctrl + 7/8/9/0 - Creates custom selection groups.
D - Toggles Fast Mode, for rapid travel (disabled in combat).
Esc - Close window / open options menu.
F - Opens the party formation window.
F5 - Ouicksave.
F8 - Ouickload.
G - Open grimoire or appropriate spell menu.
H - Stronghold menu.
I - Toggles the currently selected party member's inventory.
J - Toggles the party's journal. This is where the user will be able to view their quest log, bestiary, journal, and notes.
M - Area map.
P - Party manager.
R - Rest menu.
S - Toggles Slow Mode, allowing finer control of characters.
Space Bar - Pauses the game. Orders may be given to party members while the game is paused.
Tab - Highlights interactive objects in the current camera view.
X - Cancel action.
Scavenger Hunt Codes
Obsidian started a Scavenger Hunt on April 11th. To make a long story short, find hidden codes - unlock new in-game goodies.
You can view the secret ending early in the game -- after meeting with Berath. When you are speaking with Berath, simply refuse his requests to search for Eothas to eventually get the secret ending, essentially bypassing the overall narrative journey.
Strategy Tips
Read Everything. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire revels in its writing. This is the first game in years to tell you how a character is acting rather than show you with animations. It's great! Take your time, read through every conversation and book. Invest in the world and its setting. Pillars is a much better game when you take the time to smell the roses.
Remember to Scout! Scouting, that is, sneaking through dungeons is an important part of keeping your party alive. Entering into scouting mode allows you to sneak up on enemies and gives you the chance to highlight traps before you trigger them.
Don't Get Hung Up on Quests. That said, this game has more quests than you can shake a stick at. Don't give up quickly, but if you're really struggling, it's okay to move on. Along with that, it's perfectly okay to take a break from the campaign too. In fact, it's the only way you'll get to max level before you finish.
Get Some Rest: No, not the kind of rest you'll need after playing the game all night. Resting is the only way to remove aliments and is critical to restore health on long journeys. It's easy to rest at any inn, but always have camping supplies to rest in the wild. Nobody wants to have to back track to town while in the middle of a dungeon.
While creating a character, it is best to remember that there are no good or bad characters, and different people appreciate different aspects of the game.
Be creative! Experiment with builds and make character you want to play, not the character that guides say you should.
Explore! Don't rush through main quest if you're playing for the first time, you'll miss out on lots of quests, rewards and experience.
Pressing CTRL + [Number] while having a character (or group of characters) selected, will bind that character/group to that number.
You can queue your abilities by holding down SHIFT, then clicking them in order you want them executed. Keep in mind that your character will move out of position if you queued abilities with different range.
Always keep your eye on buffs and debuffs on the side of your character portraits. Managing debuffs is very important in higher difficulties.
When dealing with larger groups of enemies, make use of the environment - try pulling them to choke points.
Various Steam Achievements
Complete the indicated task to unlock the achievement.
Achievement
How to unlock
A Brighter World
Complete the Vailian Trading Company faction questline.
A Fleet to Call My Own
Acquire each type of ship in the game.
A Sailor's Life
Repair your ship and prepare to sail the seas.
Alchemist
Create five or more different potions.
Any Port in a Storm
Sail to all major ports in the Deadfire
Bounty Hunter
Finish 15 Bounties.
Burning Bridges
Maximize negative relationship with a Companion.
Conduct Unbecoming
Complete the "Blow the Man Down" quest
Constellation Prize
Complete the "Berkana's Folly" quest
Decked Out
Attach each type of upgrade on a single ship.
Dragonbane
Unknown.
Enchanter
Enchant five items.
Establishing a Link
Unknown.
Explorer
Name all of the Uncharted Islands.
Explosive Confrontation
Unknown.
Explosives Expert
Create five or more different bombs.
Full Complement
Assign a crew member to all slots on a single ship.
Gathering the Party
Recruited all Companions.
Gold, Greed, and Guts
Complete the Príncipi faction questline.
Heart of the Deadfire
Reach Neketaka
Hostile Takeover
Complete the Royal Deadfire Company faction questline.
Animal Companion...