Pathfinder: WotR - "Through the Ashes" DLC Review

[@Trevaricus]

Maybe I'm in the minority but I actually enjoy experiences where you're not some omnipotent chosen one who holds the fate of the entire world in their hands. Too often it comes off as pandering to the ego of the player. I find experiencing the struggles of normal people in these insane, apocalyptic situations to be very compelling and honestly more relatable. Thanks for the review!

[@SlanderedGaming]

It's definitely a nice change up from what you experience in the base game. Glad you enjoyed the review.

[@windblownleaf6450]

I agree. Too bad the main game didn't go that route...

[@filippodsiado8240]

Yeah i mean they are fun but sometimes You want simple journey with simple problems in absolutly crazy world

[@Flagonborn]

I generally don’t enjoy side story dlc, but this one was well done I felt.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Agreed I enjoyed it.

[@azerial_0189]

I love the DLC as well. I like the party characters. Sendri was my fav. His personality is kinda like mine so I enjoyed it and i like the ending because it left it as a cliff hanger. I really hope they continue it cause I want to know what happens to my party and character as well.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup I hope we get a true ending to the story.

[@TheBadRandolph]

I was also sceptic about this. Yet I had an absolute blast! Glad you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

[@SlanderedGaming]

You too take care!

[@Arcling]

I like the idea of dlcs as standalone stories, especially if it's from different point of view. Their standalone nature doesn't force players to replay campaign, so it's a good thing in my opinion. Not a fan of splitting the story into different chapters to be released as another dlc. Such stories should be released as complete package. Anyway, I have yet to play this dlc since I'm still on the main campaign.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah I think the cliffhanger was a turn off but I did enjoy the overall experience.

[@PadForce]

Thanks for this - will be getting the DLC as a result of your review.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Awesome my pleasure!

[@Darktusken]

I personally like the idea of those side-story dlcs that feature a different protag but i really wish there were more things to affect to affect the main story , as it stands i pretty much feel that there isnt much replayability or incentive to redo-them

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah I enjoyed playing it once but I don't see it as having a ton of replay value.

[@CurtisDurden]

I have yet to start any DLC, because I'm playing through the main game for the Nth time lol. I should maybe look into this soon :P

[@SlanderedGaming]

😂😂

[@turtlejay]

I really enjoyed this DLC, glad you took the time to review it.

[@SlanderedGaming]

My pleasure!

[@rogerkjellstrom3637]

Glad you tried it anyway , thanks for review :)

[@SlanderedGaming]

My pleasure.

[@SaintofQuartz]

I liked Ashes and enjoyed the emphasis on environment navigation. Will say the blizzard rod you unlock suuucks though. Cold damage vs demons? Sure.

[@dagonofthedepths]

They did hint at the ending if you talk to Sendri or use him enough. I kind of liked him but it's more because of his mystery than his character which, yeah is just every halfling ever. Also he's the embodiment of the bad mage which I find hilarious, that guy that makes you yell, "omg get back here you stupid wizlord your not a tank stop attacking Deskari at lv1 with your knife." Supposedly, Owl Cat did say they are doing a part 2 to this as well, but yeah that was a bit much for a lv 5 party to be involved in at the end. I also think they should have spelled it out at or before character creation that this is a survival game, and a gear dependent class isn't a good idea unless you know what loot is coming. I thought that it was obvious you shouldn't take a Sword Saint or Tower Sheild Specialist, but I found a lot of playthroughs where people thought they will get to be this plate mail wearing great sword specialist halfway through.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah luckily I knew what I was getting into.

[@TimeIsMine93]

Hey uh, i could use a bit of help and ive gotten ignored on the dis. But these casters like ember and nenio, what weapon should i equip them with in the early game? The the cantrips arent really helping especially nenio. And i cant hardly land a shot with a cross bow. Is there way to get them some better damage without burning through spells. I just finished act 1 and Lann hard carried the backline

[@SlanderedGaming]

Ember and Nenio should almost never be using the weapon in their hand. For Ember focus on weapons that increase touch attacks, fire damage and/or spell penetration. For Nenio focus on weapons that increase DC or spell penetration. Oftentimes those weapons are melee and you do not want them entering melee combat. Early game there's a lot of hand holding as you carefully apply crowd control spells as needed. Later in the game they will have a lot more spell slots and you will only have to manage them manually during tough boss fights. For Ember in Act 1, right click the slumber Hex to have her repeatedly use it during fights. Even on harder difficulties almost all the Act 1 enemies are vulnerable to sleep. Nenio should be applying Grease and useful buffs as needed. Damage in Act 1 is handled more so by your archer and frontline fighters. Let me know if you still have more questions.

[@dumplingshakes22]

I am absolutely in love with both pathfinder games but I haven’t connected at all with any of the dlc for wrath. I might try it again

[@SlanderedGaming]

Give it a whirl and see what you think. If you don't like it, Treasures of the Midnight Isles will be here soon.

[@drazarkabalblade9486]

Even without considering certain.. changes that made me quite crossed with Owlcat when I went to replay the game, the thing that I can say that sucks MOST with this dlc is that it doesn't exactly give you much in the way to adapt to the situation you are given. Yes, fights don't give you exp, which is kinda of a sign that you should avoid them.. except that you get forced in some fights anyway, especially fights with SWARMS. Now, swarms are a pain in the ass, no questions about it, but here you are in a situation where you're not given the tools to fight them. Sure, one torch is given.. but if you're not using a melee spec fighter, it ain't going to do much. It's almost like they expect you to already know what to have, be and do. Picked the wrong class to start? Forced into a fight you weren't prepared for nor could have done much to set up? Or maybe you used your resources before ( maybe because your dices fucked you over, it happens )? Well tough luck, hope you enjoy the feeling of trying to break a baseball bat with your face, or rather to try and try again in the hopes that the dices and stubborness carry you to victory. Sure, you will probably win in the end, but it ain't exactly an idea of "fun". Or you pick classes that are made to fight and win without need of gear ( so Monks and Kineticis are a must. ), already knowing what will happen. I have no problem with difficulty per-se. But this feels cheap, and it doesn't focus on the better parts of the original game ( namely characters, story and freedom of action ). This feels like a straight up low level, crunch game. And sure, some enjoy these kind of games, but don't have to pay 13$ for that. Plus, I get the feeling that the game and story was balanced by people who had a hand in creating it.. so since they knew what they would have faced, they would have picked the best possible situations to fight it. I don't know.. I didn't have to pay for this technically since i pre-ordered the base game, but this gave me such similar feeling to inevitable excess that I couldn't bring myself to continue. And it doesn't seem that I'm the only one to say that, looking at the ratings of the DLC itself.

[@SlanderedGaming]

There are times where you can avoid fights or make them significantly easier but I agree there is more fighting in this game than there should be considering the vibe Owlcat was going for. I don't think it's bad but it definitely wasn't my cup of tea.

[@chudpunter]

I haven't played this yet (wrapping up first run of kingmaker, and will likely do this while I cool off before wrath enhanced edition), but I was initially very negative on side-campaign stuff. then I did varnhold's lot. I liked that way more than I was expecting. It's not perfect (hated the teleporting 'puzzle'. and the last dungeon, while not bad overall, overstayed its welcome by ~half a dozen encounters imo). I really liked working with a lower level party, and needing to make builds that are strong from day 1, rather that eventually getting there sometime at lvl 12+. And, knowing that the run was fairly short, I felt like I could experiment more with different classes, not worrying if it's "optimized" enough for later. Actually, stripping away a lot of the 'meta' aspects of the campaign made it easier for me to learn the core combat mechanics better, and I think I'm a more competent player now for it. Having the story tie into the main campaign (if only mildly), as well as unlocking some very nice mid game equipment also kept it feeling relevant.

[@SlanderedGaming]

I actually really enjoyed Varnhold's Lot as well and LOVED how it dovetailed in with Kingmaker. I think it worked differently for me because I played some of Kingmaker first THEN did Varnhold's Lot and then finished Kingmaker. So for me it felt like part of the playthrough even if it actually wasn't.

[@ArdannaL]

I was fine with the ending more curious then anything else, especially given that it's not the end. Rather just the end of act one. I also like how this one gives you context to just how much of a badass you are in the base game. Honestly BG3 does that too, but that's more that 5th ed is much more straight up boring than Pathfinder.

[@SlanderedGaming]

I am not a fan of cliffhanger endings for DLC's especially when you are not planning to release part 2 anytime soon. It's completely possible that we never get a real conclusion to that story.

[@ArdannaL]

@@SlanderedGaming Well they have confirmed it's on the way and really it's no different then any tv series. You never know when something is going to get canceled, might as well enjoy what's there and hope. Look at the Firefly people, that's never coming back but they like it all the same.

[@IAmAnEvilTaco]

I just started this DLC and as is now custom I came to your channel to kinda look it over and see what you thought. Man to me this one is full of the worst aspects of Owlcat's game design. Some of the puzzles are just annoying, and the difficulty... Pathfinder does not lend itself well to dark souls style experiences, there is no "hard but fair" when you've also got RNG in the mix. The normal campaigns already annoy me with the "Here's a random mob in this low level area that's 10 levels higher than you. Hahaha we design games sadistically" mindset and they actually made an entire DLC around that experience. Man I gotta agree with you on a lot of this, but I actually DO like survival games. And survival RPGs. Every inch you take is earned? NEAT! But when they do it it just... IDK it's like they always take it a step too far, you know? They find that line of fun hard and just walk like 2 feet past it and decide that's where they live.

[@SlanderedGaming]

It's worse for me because I honestly don't play Dark Souls type of games so I find it even less appealing. Personally what I really want is post game content.

[@PotrovNivanski]

I haven’t played yet any dlc, but as this one is without the commander it was the least appealing doc for me. Although it’s good to hear it’s a fun dlc, it’s still too disconnected from my own playthroughs to make this dlc worth it. But that’s solely a personal reason.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah that's usually the same way I feel but this wasn't a bad diversion.

[@madma5855]

This question is very late but where did you get the profile pic you have on your character? Looks pretty badass

[@SlanderedGaming]

www.deviantart.com/petite-madame/art/Heroes-Gabriel-Sylar-80487117

[@redhanded22]

i feel like nobody played this dlc i mean all my achievements are like .01% of people played it it was pretty good

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah I noticed that too. Could be a residual of the negative reaction to Inevitable Excess. Also I am not sure how much the Survival market and the TTRPG market intersect.

[@mtaur4113]

I feel like it was a bit of a trap trying to figure out what builds will actually be supported by the drops. I guess you can just go Kineticist and Monk for convenience... My civilians kept getting destroyed for meager gains, too. lulz. I think I'm just bad at Pathfinder maybe.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Nah the DLC is definitely difficult and it's not friendly towards all builds. It will be interesting to see what the next one is like.

[@Lashrath]

The ending is sloppy a bit - obviously they just wanted to end it with a cliffhanger and go on with it in another dlc or something... Honestly if someone misses the feeling of being an omnipotent being in a scrounging type game mode... they can just start witha class that is largely self sustaining. Let's say if you start this witha Sohei - you get a full level animal companion with trip and a monk that has plate-like defenses even butt-naked and a full BAB with an extra attack. on level 1 a sohei hits exactly as much as 3 other level 1 characters (1 from the wolf 2 with flurry) - there is a way to finetune the experience even if you enjoy powerplay. I for one enjoy skill monkeys like alchemists - he game mode wasnt completely unsuitable for them either. (dealing with swarms is certainly a lot easier when you can cowerthem with flaming napalm)

[@SlanderedGaming]

I really missed bombs every time a swarm descended on the group.

[@jmmywyf4lyf]

I absolutely despise these dlcs that are separate from the main campaign. I find that even if I enjoy the story, I never replay it. Same for the one in Kingmaker. Love that they kindve tied it to the main story, but it didnt do enough to warrant playing it more than once, to create that save file to import

[@SlanderedGaming]

I really wanted a post game DLC but I understand that's impossible. Their next DLC is supposedly going to have a Citadel Mass Effect style.

[@jmmywyf4lyf]

@@SlanderedGaming Yeah, I saw that. I have no interest in that kind of fan pandering stuff. I thought it was corny in ME as well

[@cbrock68]

I am terrible at survival games which is why I’ve been putting outwards off for so long

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah I don't plan to play that. I know Wolf and Morty love it but I can tell it's not my type of game at all.

[@adamenglish1873]

maybe I'm late to the game on this, but weren't you samurai gaming? Guessing slandered is a reaction to losing that name somehow? In any case I like your commentary, and think you'd be a fun person to throw some dice with.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup! When my community got larger my wife was uncomfortable with my full name being used for the channel name so I changed it.

[@valdrin3529]

It was ok, but man was it frustrating to get through with limited resources, ended up using a Nature Oracle, and then caviler/paladin highbred and shaman to have aniaml companions to throw at it

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup me personally I don't like survival games but I tried to put my bias to the side for the review.

[@Thebuffshaman]

I play survival games, this DLC isn't a survival game. It's needlessly impossible at the beginning with every encounter being a save scumming nightmare with the acception of the first dog and first cultist. With a 19 str I was missing with the fake weapons more than half the time, it would take at least 3 successful hits to kill even the dogs which would kill both my characters in the theater. I don't play on unfair, I hate save-scumming combat and shen a pair of flies is taking 2 animal companions and 5 party members out in 1 hit each and are near impossible to hit themselves it demonstrates the flies in this are harder than the flies in the main game. NPCs are stat boosted then YOU have less stats then you have fake weapons and no armor. one of these needs to go to make it an enjoyable experience. After 8 hours of getting nowhere as a fighter I tried spell casters, several. THe AC was too high requiring a nat 20 to hit with my ranged touch spells and that is with Pointblank and precise shot. This was 16 char 16 dex, They saved on a 6 or higher with my 19 char sorc. Considering the boosted stats of the enemies rendering them incredibly threats to the animal companions which a normal level 1 animal companion would tear them apart shows me that they tried to cover all their bases for min-maxers having a less-difficult time and I can't imagine how you could possible do this in 7 hours when I couldn't even get past the starting 2 areas in 2 days because I just couldn't win against 2 flies that were blocking the way I had to go and couldn't get past the one level 6 lizard who also wiped my entire party repeatedly. This didn't feel like the average guy pit against insurmountable odds, this felt like based on the stat-boosted enemies an incompetent lot placed in a normal experience without a chance to actually complete it. It felt like taking an armless man and tying his legs to a chair and telling him to stand up. It feels like trying to win the lottery two drawings in a row. When one hit drops you consistently every time (Yes in over 8 hours of playing the fighter there was 0 instances of him getting hit and NOT going down and only 25% of the time did he go before the enemy) and having less than a 50% chance to hit and getting hit well over half the time.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah it wasn't my cup of tea. LOL

[@LastSider]

I didnt get the part of avoiding battles and resources thing. Just reached lvl2 escaping the caves and there were too many obligatory crapshoot battles. Terrible dlc atm. Had to lower the difficulty to story mode to get past a swarm, 2 spiders and a gel cube.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Definitely wasn't my cup of tea but I did enjoy Lord of Nothing.

[@My2CentsYall]

It was okay... it was too short as well it was over in a blink

[@SlanderedGaming]

I actually appreciated that it was short since I don't live survival games anyway. LOL

[@АйдоралСмертестойкий]

I honestly think that it is not a very good idea giving you a survivor role right after you ve been an allmighty demigod. Would probably enjoy much more a DLC from an invading demon POV (an actual born and bred demon not a Path demon). That would allow us to keep the power level but get a different experience storywise.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Something like that is probably what I would prefer but survival games have a very strong audience so I can see why Owlcat went this route instead.

[@gkagara]

I don't mind playing as total pleb in apocalypse level scenario the problem with this dlc is it too damn short, even then in the end. Spoiler Warning. You end up in some pretty tough situation involving one of your companion, this might merge with commander path in worldwound at some point.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Since I don't care for survival games I actually appreciated it being short. LOL It will be interesting to see what they do with the ending.

[@gkagara]

@@SlanderedGaming judging from the setting it is one of realm of another demon Lord, it is obvious that anyone can complete this challenge and save your companion is no mere "civilian", unless they make it that your goal in that realm is to escape without digging too deep whatever is going on there, I've never seen any adventure book be it Pathfinder or DnD which main character or their party is not something special some one at least one of them bound to have special something, right now maybe our heroes in this dlc might just unfortunate civilian but I doubt that's gonna be for long. From the first episode of this adventure already our hero in through the ashes making some changes in defender hearth which quite significant and yield pretty interesting item for commander while their adventure is dwarfed by what happen in Kenabres with commander blowing the roof of Grey Garrison their adventure or misadventures depend on how you at it, it is no less important to the bigger picture of what's happening on worldwound I can see their path would merge somewhere where it gonna be depend on how story unfold, interesting thing is your character from through the ashes exist in defender hearth if you use toy box, it maybe related to what outcome you choose later in part two.

[@jezebel8551]

So I assume you can't become a Lich in Through the Ashes? 🤣

[@SlanderedGaming]

😂😂

[@Darthvegeta8000]

Sounded so unappealing i checked it out more and put it on ignore on steam.

[@SlanderedGaming]

It's definitely not for everybody but I did feel it was better than Inevitable Excess.

[@awesome27677]

this dlc was super bad

[@SlanderedGaming]

Really why did you dislike it?

[@awesome27677]

@@SlanderedGaming It was like a mystery novel but the second half was ripped out and what you could read wasn't any good to begin with. basically i paid for a rod that changes stuff to cold damage. whack.

[@SlanderedGaming]

@@awesome27677 LOL

[@awesome27677]

@@SlanderedGaming i mean at least the excess dlc gave me a lich only dope helm, pretty awesome right? :)