PoE OC with White March installed (Spoilers!)

Pillars of Eternity

ToddMcF2002

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Fair warning spoilers ahead

I finished the OC a few weeks back and decided to install White March and load up a level 7 save and start the content. Well... I did "OK" clearing some of the areas and dealing with the contant paralyze, but it was clearly harder than the old game. But after stumbling on the White Dragon I realized I had to go back to the OC and level up a bit so I did the Endless Paths. Figured I'd quickly kill the Arda Dragon again. Um... no. I'm level 11 just like last time but this fight is not the same. At least that is my impression after getting wiped 7-8 times. Killed it it second attempt pre White March at level 11 mind you. I was expecting the devastating AOE but the ads in particular are tougher it seems. So I looked online and of course its all from 2016 and prior and I don't think the content is really relevant. I'm curious if anyone has had success here with White March installed. I suspect the whole game is effected because I was dealing with lots of Paralyze that I don't recall on the Paths back a few weeks ago. So apparently I need to continue doing OC content to push my level further. I found this post that was clearly from a White March player because he mentioned level 16:

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When I first tried to fight it I was destroyed. I reloaded, promised it to release it and left. Then I returned at level 16 and told it I changed my mind. Poor dragon took such a beating I felt sorry for it. Now for some hints.

Eder and Grieving Mother have access to skills that reduce armor. Chanters as well. Use them - it is hard to fight an enemy with nearly 30 DR. Reducing armor to 10 makes a world of difference. Moreover Eder should charge the dragon immediately. It seems to me that while engaged in melee it does not use the breath of death. It did not use it in my fight. Anyway spread your team just in case. Fighting the dragon near the entry area is probably the best idea. You will have a lot of space to manouver. Also the dragon's minions will not show up immediately. As a rule of thumb your team should be strong enough to kill the minions quickly and efficiently. If not, the fight is probably too early for you.

Palegina can mark the dragon as a sworn enemy - it lasts till the fight ends. Her flaming attack has increased accuracy - use it as well. In my fight she had the soul bound hammer of Abydon. This thing is insane, it tends to destroy everything. In general make sure to use soul bound weapons.

Perhaps the most important thing: use wizard and priest spells that do repeating damage over time. Do not use single hit spells as they can miss easily and casting things takes time. The dragon is a huge target and it does not move at all. A wall of color is totally ridiculous in this case. There are many other spells of this kind as well. Even priests have them (like the rain of light). Use them. Having two wizards can help as they can unload lots of spells on the dragon before it has a chance to retaliate. Wall of color changes damage type and targets different defenses as time passes and it lasts a long time. Some of these attacks have to hit and they hit hard. In fact, in my case the wall of color even dominated the dragon for a while so it wanted to fight on my side. lol. DOT spells are the key.

Use figurines to summon things to fight for you. There are lots of them in the game. Use wizard summons to fight for you. The more things attack the dragon the better.

Hope it helps you. You should remember that this game is VERY level dependent. Leave things until you are higher level if you have trouble. Also, Grieving Mother equipped with the soulbound bow which you can find in White March is your friend. She just destroys everything.
 
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I realize I'm talking to myself here but maybe this will help someone out someday. First off White March is outstanding - but it does create some chaos about where to go when. And the Arda Dragon is definitely harder. I did revisit with a level 12 team and lost again, but did much better. I know there are probably better players out there that can tackle Arda at lower levels with White March installed but I guess I'm not one of them. Here is what I noticed:
1. The AI will do a wing attack which is a near wipe if someone doesn't immediately rush for melee engagement. There is zero delay and that is new. I tried (3) times to get a fast Protection from Fear spell off to cover my fighter before he ran in and got a wing attack every time. In fact, if the Dragon isn't engaged in melee at *all* times you can expect a wing, tail or breath attack and that might be the end right there. Its always been like that I think, the change is the insta-wing attack in the beginning.
2. The primordial ads heal the dragon so they have to go - and now they seem stronger. With a melee character engaged and some summons to distract I focus on the ads.
3. Paralyze scrolls hit. So if necessary you could use them to by time to wipe the ads and get better positioning. I suppose you could spam them but bear in mind there is a new dragon in the game now so going "all in" with resources on Arda might be detrimental later.

I'm getting another level or two in Durgan's Battery before returning. I started the expansion at level 8 but its a lot more enjoyable at level 11. The new content is pretty brutal for lower levels. But anything above 12 might be too easy with the exception of the boss(s). I already ran into one of them and it wasn't pretty!

Anyway - recording for posterity I guess
 
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Finished White March I last night. Excellent expansion! Well... almost finished there is one nasty optional boss still breathing got to give that a shot. But love the content it was great. Starting part 2.
 
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Arda finally down with my level 13 crew. Still took ~6 attempts. Confusion is a huge liability for Arda which helps get him to nuke his own ads and I ended up using 3-4 paralyze scrolls. All this to keep him from breath attacks. Magic otherwise was mostly useless for damage. I can buff my party but never found a way to debuff Arda? Eder had Drakes Bell (+5 / +25% vs beasts) and Sagani has vs. beasts bonuses and War Paint Potions for accuracy. Marginal damage from Sagani though. Eder and the monk seemed to do most of the damage. Eder ultimately went down to a breath attack and Aloth finished him I think with a Maelstrom scroll. The combat log has big gaps in info at times. At the end of the day this is a very tough battle with lots of random reasons you can lose if the dragon uses one of its big 3 AOE attacks. I hate using paralyze scrolls but with a fight this one sided I'm not sure how else to get through it. Moving on!
 
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I just thought I'd point out that the dragon is actually called the ADRA dragon. You keep spelling the critter wrong :) . The critter is named after the substance by the same name that plays a rather pivotal role (especially in its luminous form) throughout the games.

Other than that, I'm glad you are enjoying your game. I also waited to play through PoE until the game was fully patched and with both White Marches on board. It was a great experience and the expansions were awesome.


I wish I could remember when I played the White Marches (at what level) and how I beat the Adra Dragon but I think I saved the Adra Dragon for almost last because that dude was really tough.
The very last thing I did (before ending the game) was clearing the Crägholdt Bluffs map and finishing the Siege of Crägholdt quest. That area and the boss fight were pretty damn challenging even for my high level party.
 
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I bought the game years ago pre-WM and only decided on the expansion when I completed the OC. Yes thanks for the Adra/Arda correction ;). I just finished the WMIi mines that was actually a pretty difficult finale for a side quest. Great game still.
 
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Alpine Dragon down. I started using Devotion of the Faithful didn't realize what a colossal buff that was - +20 Accuracy and +4 Might. I can prone and confuse with high accuracy. Combine that with Dire Blessing, Durgan's Crit modifiers for weapons like Drake's Bell its a serious source of melee damage for my Monk and Eder. The harder buff to pull off is Champion's Boon because I'm usually forced to start the attack by then but if I can land it during a Confusion round its +10 Might. He really nukes his adds when confused its hilarious. Several helpings of Dragon meat served!
 
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Finished White March II. Not bad - could have used a better end battle but good closure. Very impressive journey. I didn't think I'd be sinking another 40 hours into the game when I started the expansion but well worth it!
 
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White March I & II were the highlight of PoE for me. Great story, great combat that is challenging, and some great new characters. Twin Elms was a low point which really made the OC feel a bit flat. I did White March at max level and it was more enjoyable that way.
 
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