Welcome, and get ready to Open your brain-tanks "bra's", 'cause here comes some premium 91 octane knowledge. (Yes I'm a fan of HIMYM, and no, I don't really speak like that).
Alright first off, I chose a Fire Godlike purely for cosmetic and RP purposes (wanted to go Death Godlike for the passive but didn't like in-game models or the portrait) but ended up realizing that the DR passive and small fire damage synergizes really well for Melee Ciphers (it compensates quite a bit for my weaknesses i.e. being a bit squishy, especially at higher lvls). The Moon Godlike and Death Godlike races are also great choices for their passives (Survivability or Maximizing Damage respectively). Choose whatever race you like, however, as the key to a great roleplaying experience is rolling with a character you like!
Base Stats/ End game stats with gear and passives
Mig - 14/16
Con- 10/10
Dex - 16/19
Per - 10/11
Int - 18/20
Res - 10/13
Note, I could have optimized my stats further, but decided I didn't need to and rather allocated more attributes (items) to my party members. If you decide to make a Solo adventurer however, then your build can be optimized further than what I am demonstrating above with end game attributes.
I pretty much went with the suggested class attributes, but they are the best option for a Cipher specializing in Melee (and to a lesser degree, ranged) damage. Now I didn't max out my Might because I feel dexterity and especially Intelligence are much more important to the Cipher class, even when focusing on Melee (Might contributes to all types of damage dealt i.e melee, spells, ranged and also healing for priests and paladins).
Dexterity is your friend! Since I choose to play with hard hitting slow weapons (This includes ranged weapons, which are all inherently slow in order to balance their high damage), the dex bonus makes up quite a bit for the lack of speed, and since much of the time you will be casting spells, doing so swiftly will maximize the time you have to deal melee damage (and hitting more frequently means power replenishes faster as well). I didn't want to Min/Max because I'm just not a fan of it, and thankfully to make this build, you won't have to either. In this game Min/Maxing is quite punishing, though not as much if you distribute your attributes strategically (for example choosing an attribute which is inherently weaker for your specific character class). You can also compensate for a deficit from lowering one attribute by raising another that contributes the same benefits, for example, both Resolve and Intelligence contribute to the Will defense. So taking off 2 intelligence can be compensated by adding 2 resolve. Constitution can be balanced with might (Fortitude) and Perception with Dexterity (Reflex).
If you truly love Min/Maxing, then the only attribute I would suggest you lower for your Cipher is constitution and only by a thin margin (8 constitution at most). Ciphers start with low Health and endurance pools. Since attributes are based on percentage total correlation, then lowering constitution on a character that starts off with low constitution for example is much less punishing (especially as you level) than a fighter who starts off with quite a large pool of health and endurance. I say no lower than 8 for constitution because having too low of a health pool (not just endurance) can really tip the balance of your party if you plan to be in the thick of battle (and if you're readying this guide then obviously that is the play-style you will choose to adhere to).
Intelligence is the most important Attribute to Ciphers because it maximizes duration and Area of effect for powers. Note that almost all Cipher powers are Foe only, meaning they cannot hurt allies. Some powers have secondary effects that damage allies, but none of their AoE powers will damage allies. I accentuate this because the added Area of Effect that comes from Intelligence is Foe only therefore it not only increases the Area of your spells but adds maneuverability when dealing with many enemies clumped together in proximity to your Allies. It also adds layers of strategic planning for specific Classes, though since the Cipher's AoE spells are all Foe only, this mechanic doesn't benefit us, so I can't add it as one of the reasons intelligence is so awesome for a Cipher, but the increased AoE Size is still very relevant, especially for one particular end level spell! The duration is also quite practical, because a lot of our spells are CC (Crowd Control) spells and are the bulk and base of our defensive counter measures to having much less base Health and Endurance than other classes.
Might is also very important for obvious reasons, even if I believe it to be the 3rd most important attribute to focus on. The Cipher is mainly a damage dealing and crowd control class, so dealing more damage is a necessity in order to survive and be effective at what you do once your spells (powers) are in effect (the synergy with the added spell duration from intelligence and action speed from dexterity is crucial). For that reason I suggest not going lower than 14 might for a Melee Cipher, as the extra damage will be important as stated above. That being said you can mitigate having lower might with strategic weapon choices, Items, abilities and talents. This is the basis on which my Build is, well. built. It has proven to be very effective as you will find out for yourselves (once you finish reading this guide). ;)
The other attributes aren’t necessary for this build, though are also left unchanged, creating no negative defense scores or balancing necessities.
For anyone worried about role-playing choices for dialogue options, Intelligence comes with quite a few options available to it. (Note that I am a worry freak in that department, and researched intensively before making my decisions, hopefully demonstrated in this guide. I also spent hours in front of the creation screen, so I understand your pain). Also note that most Attributes can be enhanced with a combination of items, sleeping buffs and food. Resolve for example can be boosted from 10 to a maximum of 17 with a combination of an item (the shroud of Mourning giving +3 resolve), Food (either A dragon meat or dragon egg dish which gives another +3 resolve) and Sleeping buff ( +1 resolve, which can found by sleeping in your Stronghold after having built the required domain, in this case, the chapel).
I use an Estoc/Blunderbuss Combo for weapons. Estoc for DR reduction and High per hit damage, while the Blunderbuss is used in combination with draining whip (stated below) as they synergise well together. You should choose either fire or corrosive lash if enchanting weapons with elemental damage). Corrode is highly versatile and not many enemies are immune, it also affects the most types of armors. Fire damage affects a lot of enemies including spirits, and I hear a lot of people have trouble with shades, so it is a good alternative to Corrode. The only downside to the fire enchantment which I found is that wurms, drakes and Dragons especially are highly resistant.
Note that even when mainly using a Melee weapon, having a good ranged weapon creates flexibility when combined with strategic choices and Cipher Powers. An example of this is when enemies are out of reach (because of a choke point you created in a hallway with your tank for example) and you need to recharge your powers. Ranged weapons are also mostly practical for a one-shot off (as action speed is separate from reload time, making the firing rate especially slow, though this is well balanced in my opinion, given the high damage capabilities of firearms). I suggest not investing in the gunner talent (-20% reload) for this reason, as the amount of time spent using a ranged weapon is usually minimal. With such a selective (6) amount of talents available, it is wiser to spend your talent points on more globally beneficial effects, such as Bloody Slaughter, which encompasses all damage dealt (including your powers).
Also, should you choose to use The Grieving Mother as one of your party members, I highly suggest Giving her the same Weapon disposition as your Cipher, as this combination is extremely deadly.Coincidentally, there are two very powerful Estocs available in the game, one of which you get from the Endless Paths (only once you've reached the 12th level however, of which there are 15) and the second can be found during a bounty quest, accessible after creating the Warden's lodge from your Stronghold. The Estoc found during the bounty quest is called Drake's Bell and has no quality level. I highly suggest you enchant it with a superb enchantment to maximize it's capabilities, though this can only be done during chapter 3 and only if you decide to kill a certain Sky Dragon. If you are not patient, than you can enchant it with the exquisite quality which will leave you room for an elemental enchantment. I would suggest using the corrosion enchantment as Wurms, Drakes and Dragons have no resistance to corrosive damage and will be some of the toughest opponents to take down. Drake's Bell is a weapon made for slaying Dragon type enemies which is reflected in its name (and also by the beast slaying enchantment it already has when you acquire it).
Talents (In the order that I chose them and why)
1) Biting whip - It'll take time before you have access to a blunderbuss, so the extra damage (20% increase, for a total of 40%, as your soul whip already has a base damage of x1.20 when your power pool isn't full) will be beneficial as your first talent at the start of your adventure. Buy a two-handed sword for more damage per hit (as an Estoc will also be unavailable for a bit unless you choose Old Vailia as your point of origin), run with a mace (DR bypass) and shield (without penalty to accuracy) for increased survivability. You could also dual-wield hatchets, which are fast weapons that each give +5 deflection, for a total of 10 with one in each hand. This will give you a chance to get more deflection than using a small shield (which has +8 deflection) and also maximize your power generation with moderate damage by taking advantage of your high dexterity for a maximum amount of hits in a round.
2) Draining Whip - not only do you get +2 points of power for every hit, but combined with the blunderbuss (which now has 6 pellets not 8, apparently) you get to replenish your power pool extremely quickly. Spam Mental Binding to paralyze enemies and get other enemies around them stuck, and mow em down with a blunderbuss, or Estoc. I think all characters should be flexible and have both a ranged and melee weapon for adaptability. The mechanics in this game allow for such without penalizing a character for investing in multiple attack methods.. Take advantage of it. You could also try and build a Dual-wield class with dual stiletto's or dual sabres if you wish, but I still think that getup to be inferior to the estoc (for a cipher).
3) Psychic Backlash - Limited because it only works when A) an enemy attacks you, and B) only when said attack is targeting your will defense. Will is the same defense you target with most of your powers to check enemies. That includes paralyzing attacks which (in my opinion) potentially make for the most fatal afflictions. So this talent will effectively neutralize an enemy for a few seconds when attacking you with said attacks, giving you time to recoup and retaliate (which is highly useful in high level encounters).
4) Two-Handed Weapon Style - I chose this to deal more damage (15% more damage) with my Estoc. I first *mistakenly* believed it also affected ranged weapons (which are all two-handed weapons). It doesn't, so be weary if you think as I did. Obviously choose only if you follow my weapon preferences, if not, the Ruffian specialization is highly practical for dual-wieders, as it encompasses, Sabres, Stiletto's and the Blunderbuss (all great weapons for a Cipher build).
5)Brutal Backlash - Enhances Psychic Backlash to cause 20 raw damage whenever you are hit with an attack that targets your will defense. The raw damage makes this choice practical, but the specificity of this talent also makes it easily replaceable.
6) Bloody Slaughter - I ended up going with this passive for my last talent, though a lot of the other talents would have benefited my build just as well (I still added Bloody Slaughter below, in the other good choices category to showcase its effectiveness).
I did not include the Greater Focus Talent as it's quite misleading and useless for this specific build. It increases the Power pool cap of your Cipher *when in combat*. Meaning that you can generate more total focus before reaching full capacity. Since the extra damage of your soul whip depends on your power pool never being full, you'd think this would be useful. The fact is you will continuously be using your powers, even between melee strikes, therefore, you never should be at a point where your power pool is full, especially when micro managing well. If you were dual-wielding fast weapons and crit a lot, then this might be viable, however, with an Estoc this will never happen (which is not a bad thing trust me). Every hit you deal will be worth it's weight.
Other good choices for a Melee/Ranged Cipher would be,
Marksmen (+5 accuracy against enemies at longer range).
Close Shooter (10% Damage Increase to enemies at Close Range).
Gunner (20% reload speed for ranged weapons).
Penetrating Shot *Modal* (-20% attack speed, +5 ranged DR bypass) good when combined with Kana's reload speed buff and/or gunner, which technically negates the effect (slower attack, faster reload) and gives you a "net" DR bypass bonus.
Quick Switch (Reduces the Recovery Time when switching weapons or spells in grimoires. -1.5 Weapon Change Recovery, -4 Grimoire cooldown).
Bloody Slaughter (All attacks at enemies with low Endurance convert +20% of Hits to Crits. Crits done this way have +0.5 increased crit damage multiplier).
*Scion of Flame* (20% fire damage increase, +5 fire damage reduction) choose this only if you are a Fire Godlike, like myself, The fire damage increases our retaliatory fire damage and the reduction will also be useful against , wurms, drakes, and dragons which are as of yet the most powerful enemies that we will face (Final boss unenclosed).
Powers (Part 1)Level 1
1) Antipathetic Field (Creates a toxic physical manifestation of the mutual antipathy between the cipher and the enemy target. Anyone caught in the path between the two will suffer Corrosive damage). used strategically to clear mobs, great combo with Mental Binding. Be careful, this affects allies as well as stated above, keep them out of the beam!
2) Mind Wave (Raw single target Damage + Knockback for multiple enemies standing behind target). Very useful at low levels, especially when overwhelmed and you need to reposition.
3) Soul Shock (Targets an Ally with a detonated pulse of shock damage that affects all enemies in the AoE) great when used on a tank at low levels to decimate multiple enemies)
1) Mental Binding - By far the best ability the Cipher has! It Paralyses a single target but also creates a field around said enemy that keeps other enemies stuck and unable to move. They can still attack you if you get close though, so shoot them at range or use your tank to engage them while wailing on the paralyzed enemy. Very affective to either disable powerful enemies while destroying weaker ones, or for managing mobs and controlling the battlefield by strategically positioning your allies around specific enemies. With high Accuracy, it almost never grazes and rarely is negated. Remember that enemies who had activated an ability such as a spell or a Knockdown effect will resume said ability once the paralysis wears off. i.e. this ability has no interrupt! So be careful when dealing with poweful enemies! Also note that at higher levels this gets increasingly useful because of it's low power cost!
2) Mind Blades - Raw damage, jumps to multiple targets with *increased* damage. Awesome!
3) Psychovampiric shield - Drains Intellect from enemies and uses it to temporarily increase his or her Deflection. The increase in the cipher's Deflection is dependent on how much Intellect he or she successfully drains from victims. Basically +10 deflect for us, -10 for the enemy. With 18 Int, you always get a max drain (10). Really good for survivability if going Melee, example start with Mental binding (always open with mental binding unless you want to bait enemies into a grouped postion for maximum effect) and then use Psychvampiric shield while they are paralyzed in case any other enemies decide to attack you. It lasts a really long time (about one minute real time with high Int). Edit: They might have nerfed the duration effect (it used to last 1 minute!)
4) Recall Agony - The cipher causes the target to re-experience the pain of a wound moments after the target originally suffered it. The damage is a percentage of the original value, but it ignores the armor of the target. 25% of total damage reapplied on single enemy after being wounded by the last attack that hit. (Haven't used it much, but the fact that it bypasses armor makes it quite brutal against heavily armored opponents, so quite practical when used with a heavy hitting party member. Probably most effective on single targets with high endurance pools that are heavily armored i.e. Heavily armored Kith and bosses).
1) Secret Horrors - Causes enemies in the area of effect believe their worst fears have been realized, Frightening and Sickening them for the duration. Very large AoE, Fast casting time (like most of the abilities I choose). Make sure to weigh in casting time for your decision making, which is quite important for survivability and can tip the scales in your favor during especially difficult boss fights.
2) Soul Ignition - Forces an enemy's soul to "leak" energy, igniting the air around them and Burning them over time. Great Single Target DoT when combined with High Int. Good for bosses and resistant enemies. Remember that it deals burn damage rather than raw damage, making it effective against spirits for example, but much less so for wurms, drakes or dragons).
3) Ectopsychic Echo - The cipher and an ally generate a bolt of psychic energy that periodically rebounds between them, causing Crush damage to anyone caught in the area. Potentially devasting if used stratgically. Same as Antipathetic Field but even better since you control both sides of the effect, not having to compensate for enemy movement, therefore adding positioning benefits before starting a fight for example.
3) Pain link - Reapplies 25% of all damage done to targeted ally. Went with this for my 3rd power (level 3) but hardly ever used it. The disadvantage is your ally ( and by ally I mean tank as this is a no brainer in terms of strategic use) needs to get hit a bunch of times before it can apply a lot of damage to your enemies, though most of the time you end up killing monsters before that happens. Could be practical with bosses or ennemies that have poerful single hit damage (ogres, for example) or with a mob of weak monsters that hit you constantly. Never had to use it though, as opportunities are scarce.
1) Silent Scream - Produces a psychic howl in the targeted area, Stunning the target as well as dealing Raw damage to all enemies within. Stands a high chance of causing an Interrupt. Raw Damage + Stun + possible Interupt! decent AoE, seems to have a lesser chance of stunning than Mental Binding has of Paralysing, but has the advantages stated above. Awesome
2) Mind Lance - Impales the target with a lance of pure force, inflicting major Pierce damage to all in the line of attack with a high chance of causing an Interrupt. Amazing damage with a Fast cast time that can potentially hit many enemies and interupt them as well! Very powerful damage dealer when combined with Mental Binding!
3) Pain Block - Ally only, +10 DR on selected ally for 30 secs, 84.7 Endurance applied over 30 secs (base 20 secs). Now my Int score is at 20 so the Endurance healed and the amount of time is buffed in relation to my Int, but this must be a bug that will be fixed because duration should not be increased on beneficial spells (healing) unless the amount of Endurance scales to match. However, in HoT cases, it is always more beneficial to have reduced time over heals, so even with scaling Endurance healed, the added amount of time would be a detriment when powerful attacks hit or crit your character. So they definitely have fix that. Anyways good power when your weaker allies (casters) are in trouble. Also good when your healer is either out of good heals or your healer is getting murdered, (though this should never happen).
Powers (Part 2) & End Of Guide! NNNNOOoooOOOO. (Darth Vader is not a Whiny little B***H)1) Borrowed Instinct - great buff/debuff power that targets Will defense stats such as Intelligence and Perception and turns them into raw defense and offense for your Cipher. This power takes -8 Int and -8 Per from your enemies and gives you +20 on all defenses and +20 Melee accuracy, which is awesome for this build. it has good reach (15m) and lasts a bit of time (base 15 secs) 22 secs with 20 Int. The biggest flaw and biggest strength of this power is that it targets enemies' Will defense. When attacking powerful enemies that use highly debilitating spells and powers that require high Intelligence (therefore makes for a high will defense) such as Mages, Mindhunters and the Vithrack for example, this power can effectively cripple their attacks and leave them vulnerable to your own Powers but the Will check makes this a gamble (catch 22, especially at higher levels), so using this ability on hard and PotD difficulties make it increasingly harder to hit enemies who are most succeptible (meaning they are the prime candidates to gimp yet are also the most resistant to the power). you can obviously use this on any enemies to reap the benefits (which also becomes quite effective on enemies who have a high reflex defense (as the power also targets Perception) the advantage being they don't necessarily have a high will defense leaving not only vunerable to the borrowed instinct power but also most AoE spells from spellcasters! So be careful when using it against prime targets such as Vithracks as you might just end up wasting your power pool at higher difficulties and end game content.
2) Detonate - Inflicts Raw damage to single targets causing high damage and also Explodes :D a weak (heavily damaged) target causing AoE crush damage. If that last bit didn't sell you then I don't know why you play violent video games. But seriously, this is a great spell and quite affective when your tank has a couple of enemies engaged. Great finisher and great against bosses. the crush AoE damage is not Foe only however, so be careful when applying near weak enemies close to weak party memebers. This spell targets fortitude, making it practical against foes with strong Will defenses.
3) Ringleader - Powerful spells that dominates multiple enemies and bends them to your will, making them effective allies for a while. Good spell when facing off against many powerful enemies. Since we are melee Ciphers I try to avoid these type of spells in favor of spells that damage, debilitate or hinder enemies. what annoys me with these is sometimes the effect stretches out for a long time after all other enemies are dead. Of course you can just kill your new found "allies" while the spell is still in effect. It also has a long casting time which makes you quite vulnerable for a bit so if you miss (and you will against powerful enemies with high Int) this spell becomes much less viable, especially on higher difficulties. Also, if you choose to play with The Grieving Mother in your party (which you should, as having two party members using mental binding and amplified wave is OP), then having mind control powers is much less useful as she is naturally built that way narratively and mechanically. (if you get her at low levels as I did this can be mitigated somewhat, though make sure you go back to her level 2 Spells and get Mental Binding, as she won't have it with automatic leveling).
Level 6 - End level powers, note that you can get all of these powers unless you feel the need to get more low level ones.
1) Amplified Wave - Amazingly Uber power that targets the Fortitude defense and knocks all enemies in it's field range (which encompasses everything on your screen) prone for a limited time, inflicting crush damage. Ok this is THE power you need to get first, it becomes essential at higher end levels against mobs and bosses. Incredible power with huge range (base 8 meters, 12.4 meters with 20 Int) and a FAST cast time. It pretty much affects all enemies you'll be facing, no matter how many there are. The range is extremely practical for many situations, it does have a high power cost however (which is the only drawback), so use it strategically. (This power is one of the reasons having The Grieving Mother is so useful, having the ability to cast two of these in succession combined with powerful AoE spells from your caster makes most fights a cakewalk).
2) Mind Plague - Confuses and Dazes enemies then (potentially) jumps to a maximum of 5 other targets. Great ability with an average cast time. 10 m cast distance +8 meter jumping distance (so 10 m from targeted enemy then 8 m from said enemy to other enemies, making for very good reach). This is a great way to thin the herd when dealing with many enemies. It disables some enemies for a while and makes them weak for high damaging attacks (if it hits). Targets Will.
3) Disintegration - A nod to the D&D fans, this power is a damage over time spell that deals Raw damage and can effectively annihilate an enemy with low endurance (though endurance has to reach 0, which is more of an aesthetic gimick than anything, but a pleasing one to witness). This spell has a slow cast time and deals relatively low damage (over time, base 15 seconds) compared to other single hit damage spells (such as detonate or soul ignition). The advantage it has over Soul Ignition is that it deals raw damage, making it much more flexible, but detonate is much more effective in my opinion and also deals Raw damage. This should only be used over detonate is you don't want one of your party memebers to be hurt by the AoE that Detonate provides when dealing with weak (heavily damaged) enemies. I never use this power and honestly it isn't very useful. I took it because I already had chosen all the powers I wanted. Note that you can take any other lower level power that suits you instead without missing out.
And that is it, A lot of different abilites seem good past level 2 so choosing can be hard. I weighed my choices heavily and took in consideration casting speed and diversity. My choices encompass, Raw single target damage dealing, AoE CC's (some of which also deal damage) and survivability and buffs. So far I have managed extremely well against all foes on hard difficulty. To make things more challenging and interesting, I always try to clear dungeons without sleeping (such as in the Endless Paths).
I spent quite a bit more time than I thought I would writing this so I really hope it helps people out. Thanks for reading. Please Rate and feel free to comment or ask questions if you have them.
Namaste (he says in a sarcastic but meaningful tone)