Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder’s legacy shares many similarities to the acclaimed tabletop RPG.
Wrath of the Righteous' story places players in the role of a hero faced with an impossibly powerful threat. Areelu Vorlesh destroyed the realm of Sarkoris by opening a rift to the abyssal plane, allowing a demon army to through. The armies were led by the Demon Lords Deskari and Baphomet and crushed all that stood against them. Crusades against the demon invasion have begun across the land and must be continued by players to prevent the world’s destruction. Unfortunately, demonic minions, undead liches, and other fearsome foes block the way forward, threatening all life in Golarion.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a CRPG and a February 2020 Kickstarter product that gained more than triple its requested funding. Developed by Owlcat Games, Wrath of the Righteous adapts mechanics, rulesets, character classes, and mythic progression from the Pathfinder tabletop RPG. However, experienced players of the tabletop game shouldn’t expect every mechanic to appear. Many aspects of Wrath of the Righteous are liable to be updated to fit a video game format. New players and those inexperienced with the Pathfinder franchise should understand a few essential tips and tricks to ensure smooth gameplay and an enjoyable experience.
Pathfinder’s Combat: Turn-Based And Real-Time Combat
Like many games of its genre, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous features turn-based combat that allows players more time to plan out their moves. This combat mode is encouraged for players unfamiliar with in-game systems, strategies, powers, and enemy types. However, players with more experience in the genre and franchise can experience a new challenge with real-time combat. Each combat mode can be toggled in the taskbar, encouraging shifts between the gameplay styles as players become more comfortable facing certain enemies over others. Recent updates to Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous encourage players to disable ‘Auto End Turn’ to enable smoother gameplay during combat.
Pathfinder’s Player Classes: Archers Aren’t The Best
Like many RPGs, Pathfinder offers player character customization at the beginning of the adventure. The choice between custom or premade characters is available for each class, but it’s suggested players avoid Archer for the starting levels. While WOTR is more forgiving than Pathfinder: Kingmaker, it heavily emphasizes ranged attackers. Available companion classes include an Archer, Ghost Hunter, Witch, Oracle, Wizard, and Paladin, leaving just a few viable characters to lead the charge. Choosing a ranged, ‘glass cannon’ with an Archer player character makes the opening levels more difficult no matter the game’s settings.
Pathfinder’s Demonic Enemies: Resistances And Strategies
As the story of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous suggests, players face numerous demonic enemies as they progress through the world. Unfortunately, demons enjoy several resistances that can make combat particularly troublesome. Clicking on the portraits of enemy demons provides a list of resistances and can help develop a more effective combat strategy. Demons regularly resist lightning damage, meaning players should reserve items of this damage type for a non-demonic encounter. Cold iron and holy weapons can come in handy for demonic encounters and should be saved for the demonic hordes strewn across Golarion.
Pathfinder’s Stories: Always Complete Side Quests
When a new game releases, some players may wish to rush through the story and experience the main attraction as quickly as possible. This mindset becomes detrimental to new players in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, especially in Act I. Party companions have their own storylines that heroes can complete, unlocking unique dialogue, backstories, and deeper relationships with some of the game’s most compelling characters. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous provides many companions, leading to many side quests with personally invested interest. However, party aren’t the only characters with stories or requests. NPC artisans and vendors can also recruit player characters to unlock powerful weapons or armor. Unfortunately, these quests are usually significantly more difficult or grindy than companion quests and don’t offer the same narrative satisfaction upon completion. These side quests aren’t necessary for completing Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, but they can certainly help the process go a little more smoothly.
Pathfinder’s Terminology: Wrath of the Righteous Isn’t D&D
Experience with Dungeons & Dragons' tabletop RPG can help players less familiar with the Pathfinder franchise find their way through preliminary gameplay systems, rules, and mechanics. Still, some of the terminologies may seem misleading. In Dungeons & Dragons, AC refers to Armor Class and is the number enemies must sur to strike their opponents. Pathfinder’s systems are slightly more complicated, with like Touch Armor Class and Flat-Footed AC impacting character abilities and skill checks in the overworld and combat. Touch Armor Class refers to AC without existing defense bonuses from armor, shields, or spells. Flat-Footed AC is similar, referring to Dexterity and speed scores without bonuses from equipment or spells. Dexterity is essential for spellcasters and ranged attackers, as it directly impacts the likelihood of a successful ranged attack.
Pathfinder’s Spells: Don’t Ignore Buffs And Debuffs
CRPGs place a particular emphasis on strategy in combat, meaning encounters in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous can’t always be won with brute strength or endless barrages of attacks. While it can be tempting to use attack moves constantly, players won’t get far without utilizing some of Pathfinder’s buff and debuff spells. As the game progresses and enemies become more complex, strategies must evolve to encom the terrain, resistances, strengths, weaknesses, and more. Utilizing spells like Haste and Death Ward is vital, meaning the sooner players get in the habit of using them, the more straightforward combat will become.
There are many ways to enjoy Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous for fans of the tabletop RPG and newcomers to the franchise. Owlcat Games ensured players could customize their gameplay experiences for optimal conditions, but following the previously stated tips can remove significant stress from initial playthroughs.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is available now on PC, with console versions scheduled for a March 2022 release.
