Going blind into a CRPG is more often than not a brutal experience. They're some of the oldest types of RPGs in the genre and their rules, as well as gameplay, was meant to be a digital mirror of tabletop games. Thus, they're more complex. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is no exception. It's one of the latest heavyweights in the constantly maturing CRPG sub-genre.
It doesn't help that Wrath of the Righteous doesn't want to hold the players' hands. The tutorial is there but it's more like a poke in a certain direction than hand-holding. As a result, many players both new and experienced ought to expect themselves to commit many mistakes during the game. These are some of the most common and can derail the players from the right path.
Updated March 14, 2022 by Sid Natividad: Several months after Pathfinder: WOTR's release, it remains a hardcore CRPG capable of challenging even the most seasoned genre fans. Even as the helpful WOTR builds become available, the game can still be brutally difficult or unforgiving, especially for those who aren't open to some heavy trial-and-error.
Thus, we've deemed it necessary to add even more glaring mistakes that players might need to avoid. That way, their WOTR builds won't run into some disheartening party wipes or wasted playthroughs. These mistakes range from impatience to complacency. Even those two can be sinister villains in Pathfinder: WOTR.
Pathfinder WOTR has become even more accessible with the release of the console versions of the game. As always, there's bound to be a downpour of beginners to the game. A lot of them might and will commit some common mistakes. So here are more mistakes to avoid in Pathfinder WOTR.
17 Accidentally Killing Other NPCs
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is unlike most other RPGs. It lets players kill some pretty important NPCs— if they want, of course, not that they're compelled to do it. Some of these NPCs can even be recruited and can be useful for the party. In any case, assaulting a rude or arrogant character might not be the best idea in the game.
Because they could very well be potential companions or act as a special trigger for some quests. It's best to ask questions first, stab later because impulsive actions in this game tend to have some terrible consequences. And whatever happens, be sure to refrain from killing a punchable noble named Daeran. He's actually an impressive healer.
16 Not Planning Out Exploration
The large campaign map that holds locations that can be visited in real-time mode might be a point of excitement for many players but being too giddy about them can be detrimental. Exploring several directions at once looking to uncover everything also has its consequences through the corruption mechanic.
Prolonged aimless explorations on the campaign map can and will invite the corruption debuff which will reduce the whole party's combat-readiness by quite a significant chunk. The longer parties stay outside, the more corruption taxes them. So make sure to plan out expeditions.
15 Forgetting To Micromanage The Party
Despite the available real-time combat mode, Pathfinder: WOTR expects its players to constantly pause and plan out their tactics. Because simply siccing the whole party at an enemy group doesn't always end well and can result in some embarrassing defeats, even in low difficulties.
Each and every member of the party has to be handled surgically, so they can flank, tank, or perform some clutch moves or spells that can turn the tide of battle. Micromanaging the whole party during combat also lessens the need for too much resting or healing as resource macro-management is also a big part of combat.
14 Ignoring Utility Spells
Spellcasters tend to perform a lot of the heavy-lifting during combat and it can be tempting to just go all-out with fireballs, snowstorms, or massive electrocutions. However, those don't exactly turn the tide of battle as much as utility or crowd control spells.
Even basic spells like Grease or Create Pit can turn death traps into fair fights by denying the enemies a chance to participate in combat and focusing on priority targets. Buffs like Haste also turn party members into raging forces of nature. Besides, a lot of elemental damage has to go through resistances, making them less than ideal for all situations.
13 Rushing
Once players start getting introduced to their respective Mythic Paths, it's easy to lose oneself in that fresh new RPG mechanic. This can often result in players rushing to fulfill their Mythic Paths and max them out early. Some might even find themselves rushing the main quest in order to get to the more powerful Mythic Paths or even unlock weapons or armor.
The sad part about rushing is that players might find themselves missing out on some of the more special interactions needed for other Mythic Paths or even some companions. Greybor, for example, won't join the party without the proper dialogue, even if he lingers around the HQ. So as a rule of thumb, always fulfill or attend to all the side activities. Because unlike in Kingmaker, there's not much pressure here to adhere to the main quest.
12 Sticking To One Strategy
Having a favorite party or a favorite composition and sticking to it in Pathfinder: WOTR is a recipe for frustration. That's because the game likes to throw some occasional curveballs or put up some roadblocks that will stop player progress on its tracks.
One of the most notable ones is the location called Blackwater, involving the quest "The Last Gift of a Brilliant Mind." It's full of enemies that will die only to electricity. Thus, it forces players to change up their party members or use weaker weapons to deal the killing blow. Even then, that dungeon is quite hard and most default adventuring parties will need to be scrapped for something more gimmicky.
11 Resting Too Much
There are times in Pathfinder: WOTR where some missing slivers of health or HP can result in deaths that could have been avoided if only they were full or green instead of orange. That's why it's tempting to keep the whole party well-rested, but even too much rest here can be dangerous, depending on the playthrough difficulty.
Because resting too much will fill up the corruption bar. This is a mechanic that imposes some severe penalties. Increased corruption thresholds will reduce character stats or inflict some debuffs that will make them less effective in exploration and combat. At times, having too much of this corruption can result in an unwinnable uphill battle. It's the game's way of telling players to not abuse the long rest system.
10 Forgetting To Manually Save
It's the age-old mistake that RPG players keep committing and will likely continue to do so in the absence of a generous autosave system. There is an autosave system in Pathfinder: WOTR and it's adequate, but the game has so many big repercussions and consequences that hinge on seemingly harmless or small gestures that the autosave can sometimes be detrimental as it will lock players into a decision.
There is a quicksave too, but there's a limited amount and it's only really useful for trial-and-error in combat. So for big, game-changing decisions, only the manual save is viable. And if players forget to manual save often enough, they might find themselves locked out of an awesome Mythic Path or a special item.
9 Playing It Like An Action RPG
It's easy to get baited into thinking that Wrath of the Righteous is a grand and epic demon-slaying RPG. The artwork is pretty intense. The action also looks gritty and violent. It's easy to see it like an action RPG akin to Diablo or other dungeon crawlers. However, it's best to treat it more like a strategy game.
Playing fast and loose in real-time mode where one simply clicks at a target and letting the AI handle everything is bad gameplay. That's in part due to the rather poor AI. It's a sure way for one's party to get wiped. If anything, the beginners should opt for turn-based mode.
8 Ignoring Armor & Weapon Penalties In Favor Of Aesthetics
Speaking of playing Wrath of the Righteous like a regular modern RPG, lots of players are likely guilty of this crime. Seeing one's characters in shiny and imposing armor might be satisfying but they're probably terrible at combat. The game runs on Pathfinder rulesets where heavy armor and hard-hitting weapons get penalized.
If players stack these penalties on top of one another, then they're weakening their characters. As a rule of thumb, always make sure to check any armor or weapon penalty. They're easy enough to see as they have the minus (-) sign. Beyond that, pairing heavy weapons with heavy armor isn't a good idea. One should offset the other.
7 Misunderstanding The Class Difficulty Suggestion
Even before they enter the real-time gameplay, players might already be committing their big mistake as early as the character creation. Wrath of the Righteous has a whopping 25 classes. To make the selection less daunting, the developers included a difficulty ranking.
It's just that some players can easily mistake this for class efficiency or capability. A reminder is in order here: those more stars for a class means it's more complex and thus not conducive for beginners. In hindsight, they probably shouldn't have used stars for ranking difficulty.
6 Picking A Complicated Race
While on the topic of character creation, race is also easy to mishandle in this game. Some players who are sick and tired of human, dwarf, or elven races might go for the more unique ones such as the Aasimar or the Dhampir but even those come with their own drawbacks.
The Dhampir, for one, is undead and receives damage from conventional healing spells or potions. This can easily ruin party dynamics especially if they all rely on normal healing. Meanwhile, some races are better suited for certain classes; picking something else for them means they'd turn into suboptimal characters.
5 Ruined Character Progression
What else gets mishandled easily in Wrath of the Righteous? Character progression. Leveling up is always an intricate process in Pathfinder or even games like Dungeons & Dragons. That same progression design gets carried over to Wrath of the Righteous. So it pays to take one's time when leveling up.
Reading feats carefully and planning out how they synergize with equipment or the whole party is almost necessary for regular or higher difficulties. Because if players just pick random or appealing feats, then they shouldn't expect a capable character or party.
4 Forgetting Friendly Fire
In most RPGs— even those with party-based gameplay such as Dragon Age or Mass Effect, players just press spell buttons, target them, then forget about them. That kind of practice will result in some frustrating or embarrassing deaths in Wrath of the Righteous.
Friendly-fire is very much alive and kicking in this game. A misplaced spell or friendlies walking into them because of poor AI can cost players the battle. So it's best to think twice before firing off that awesome area fire or pit spell as it's as harmful to party members as to the enemy.
3 Going All Out On Abilities
As an additional note for spells, going gung-ho on them with no regard for conservation is ill-advised as well. Most spells or abilities in the game have limited uses. Players are only allowed unlimited use for cantrips but those tend to be weak.
Spells and abilities will recharge upon resting but each rest in Wrath of the Righteous makes the game more difficult thanks to a mechanic called corruption. It's a debuff that piles up with every camp rest. Thus, players are mostly stuck with conserving their spells for big battles, lest they risk making a run more difficult.
2 Underestimating Dice Randomness
Anyone who has played Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder tabletop sessions will know just how much victory or defeat hinges on the faces of dice. This also applies to Wrath of the Righteous though it's easy to overlook this mechanic since all dice rolls here are digital and/or hidden.
They're very much present in the game regardless of what players assume. That means relying on dice roll luck isn't a viable strategy and neither is charging headfirst and without a plan. At times, the best course of action is a simple attack especially when one considers the randomness of dice rolls.
1 Triggering Attacks Of Opportunity
In conjunction with the randomness of combat in Wrath of the Righteous, players can control some aspect of their bad luck. All they have to do is stop making characters retreat, especially melee fighters. Because if players pull out a character who's in the middle of a scuffle with an enemy, the enemy gets a free attack.
This is called an attack of opportunity. It makes sense too. Anyone turning their back on an enemy is more vulnerable. If players find themselves triggering these attacks too much, then they might want to practice positioning and planning out action sequences better. Otherwise, it's back to the reload button.
Pathfinder: Wrath Of Righteous was released on September 2, 2021 and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.