Explore the Priest class in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. Learn about Deities, spellcasting, stats, abilities, and optimal strategies for playing a Priest.
Priests in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire draw power from their fervent beliefs. They possess the following base characteristics:
- Health: 40 + 10 / level (Medium)
- Accuracy: 20 + 3 / level
- Deflection: 20 + 3 / level (Medium)
- Fortitude: 20 + 3 / level (Medium)
- Reflex: 20 + 3 / level (Medium)
- Will: 25 + 3 / level (High)
- Skill Bonuses: +2 Alchemy, +2 Arcana, +2 Diplomacy, +2 History, +2 Religion
Deities
A Priest PC must select one of six Deities. Aligning actions with the Deity's tenets enhances Holy Radiance and Spiritual Weapon abilities, while opposing them diminishes their power. The choice of Deity also dictates the weapons summoned by Spiritual Weapon and the avatars summoned by Incarnate. Companions Xoti (Harvester of Gaun) and Vatnir (Priest of Rymrgand) are examples of Priests of different deities.
| Deity | Favoured Dispositions | Condemned Dispositions |
|---|---|---|
| Berath | Rational, Stoic | Cruel, Passionate |
| Eothas | Benevolent, Honest | Cruel, Deceptive |
| Magran | Aggressive, Clever | Diplomatic, Passionate |
| Skaen | Cruel, Deceptive | Aggressive, Benevolent |
| Wael | Clever, Deceptive | Honest, Rational |
| Woedica | Cruel, Rational | Benevolent, Diplomatic |
Priest Spellcasting
Priests automatically learn Holy Radiance and one other 1st-level spell. Upon leveling up, they can choose a new spell or a cross-class passive ability. At new Power Levels (PL), Priests automatically learn deity-specific spells.
| PL | Berath | Eothas | Gaun | Magran |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Touch of Rot | Sunbeam | Blessed Harvest | Fan of Flames |
| 2 | Holy Meditation | Withdraw | Withdraw | Spiritual Weapon |
| 3 | Spreading Plague | Watchful Presence | Vile Thorns | Ray of Fire |
| 4 | Divine Terror | Circle of Protection | Circle of Protection | Shining Beacon |
| 5 | Rot Skulls | Revive the Fallen | Wicked Briars | Flame Shield |
| 6 | Salvation of Time | Minor Intercession | Minor Intercession | Pillar of Holy Fire |
| 7 | Rusted Armor | Resurrection | Wall of Thorns | Torrent of Flame |
| 8 | Symbol of Berath | Symbol of Eothas | Symbol of Eothas | Symbol of Magran |
| 9 | Hand of Berath | Light of Eothas | Lashing Vine | Magran's Might |
| PL | Rymrgand | Skaen | Wael | Woedica |
| 1 | Touch of Rot | Barbs of Condemnation | Arcane Veil | Writ of Engagement |
| 2 | Blizzard | Escape | Iconic Projection | Spiritual Weapon |
| 3 | Spreading Plague | Divine Mark | Mirrored Image | Writ of Consumption |
| 4 | Noxious Burst | Finishing Blow | Llengrath's Displaced Image | Divine Terror |
| 5 | Blast of Frost | Shadowing Beyond | Confusion | Writ of War |
| 6 | Ninagauth's Freezing Pillar | Spiritual Ally | Arkemyr's Wondrous Torment | Pillar of Holy Fire |
| 7 | Death Ring | Minor Avatar | Gaze of the Adragan | Writ of Sorcery |
| 8 | Symbol of Rymrgand | Symbol of Skaen | Symbol of Wael | Hand of Weal and Woe |
| 9 | Call of Rymrgand | Revenge of Skaen | Blessing of Wael | Writ of Mending |
Playing a Priest
Priest subclasses offer unique abilities. Skaen Priests gain Rogue-like skills for stealth and damage, while Wael Priests specialize in Wizard buff/debuff spells. Magran Priests focus on fire damage, and Woedica Priests have many unique spells, though their 'Writ' spells can be detrimental to the party, and missing an Incarnation is a drawback.
An 8th-level spell is a significant advantage, and multiclassing prevents access to these. While a buff-buff-heal loop can become monotonous, a martial multiclass like Monk or Rogue synergizes well with defensive buffs. Barring Death's Door pairs with Blood Mage, and a Death Godlike PC can mitigate multiclassing's Power Level loss. Nature Godlikes benefit from self-buffs like Holy Power. Races with Affliction resistance are useful for ensuring the primary healer remains effective.
Intellect and Dexterity are primary attributes for Priests due to the importance of spell duration, Area of Effect (AoE), and casting times.
Spell Highlights:
- Level 1:
- Blessing / Holy Power: Simple AoE buffs. Holy Power is excellent for Nature Godlikes to trigger +1 PL.
- Halt: A useful reserve spell for enemies that breach the front line.
- Level 2:
- Consecrated Ground: Provides additional healing beyond Holy Radiance.
- Holy Meditation: Negates interrupt effects.
- Iconic Projection: Damages enemies and heals allies simultaneously.
- Spiritual Weapon: Scales well with level and provides bonus damage comparable to equipped weapons. Woedica's version is notable for Raw damage.
- Withdraw: An emergency spell that makes an ally invulnerable temporarily, allowing them to continue actions after the effect wears off.
- Level 3:
- Despondent Blows: A powerful debuff, potentially superseded by Devotions for the Faithful.
- Dire Blessing: An excellent opening spell, providing a 50% Graze to hit chance.
- Divine Mark: A potent single-target spell with significant damage and a substantial debuff.
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