In this Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Build Guide we’re going to be taking a look at the second companion you usually acquire: Xoti. I’ll be explaining my Monk Build for both the regular real-time with pause and turn-based modes, so that anyone can use her effectively. If you plan to use Xoti in your party then read on for some insight into this pious Companion. Please note that this Build Guide was updated for the 5.0 version of the game, as well as 1.02 on console (as of January 25th, 2020), and works with both Real Time with Pause and Turn-Based.

Pillars Of Eternity 2 Deadfire Companion Build Guide: Xoti

Xoti can be found in Port Maje, which is the first town you will come to on the world map. After the brief dialogue (that auto plays) when you get there, head right and you will find her in discussion there. Once recruited, you will immediately need to choose between a Single Class Monk, Single Class Priest, or a Multiclass Contemplative (a mix of the two). This can be a very tough decision for new players because it’s one that is permanent, and cannot be reversed later.

Xoti’s stat spread contains a bit of everything, so she won’t be particularly amazing, but she can be decent at either Support or Striking. When I use Xoti, I usually drop her into a melee Striker Role rather than the Support Role, and there are a couple reasons for that.

First, the benefit she gains for being a Sister of the Reaping Moon gives her 3 Wounds whenever she kills something with a melee attack. This bonus is completely wasted if she is ranged, or doesn’t deal much damage, which is often the case if you Multiclass her with a Priest. And second, the unique Priest Class she gains doesn’t really do a whole lot, other than giving her a few select spells that are not overly useful.

The way this Build works is by using Dance of Death and Mortification of the Soul to gain Wounds, and then by using Torment’s Reach and Skyward Kick to attack enemies. This grants you more Wounds when you kill one, allowing you to use them over and over. When playing Real Time With Pause Xoti will attack rather quickly due to high Dexterity and Swift Strikes. When playing Turn-Based, she will attack with both Fists on all regular attacks, helping to boost her damage early on, before she gains access to Torment’s Reach and Skyward Kick. Her stat spread is better for RTWP, but still works ok in Turn-based.

Xoti Monk Subclass (Sister of the Reaping Moon)

Xoti comes with the Monk Subclass: Sister of the Reaping Moon. This gives her Proficiency with Bucklers and +3 Wounds when she kills an enemy with a melee attack, but her Wound cost is increased by +1 for Abilities that use Wounds. This Subclass is the primary reason I make her a melee focused character, and it is wasted if she is playing Support or ranged Striker. Additionally, Wounds are not as useful to ranged characters anyway (unless you play a Helwalker), so I generally advise not taking the Monk Class if you plan to play this way. Sister of the Reaping Moon is one of the best Subclasses a Monk can have for a melee focused Build, so we want to take full advantage of it.

Xoti Weapons and Armor

Whenever you are playing a Monk Build, you always want to consider using Fist Weapons. This is because you gain Damage, Accuracy and Penetration with them as you increase in Power Level, usually outperforming other Weapons until late game. However, what Weapons it’s best to outfit Xoti with will be somewhat impacted by which game mode you are playing in, and where you are in the game.

The only Full Attack you will gain early on is at level 5 in the form of Stunning Fists, but this ability is situational and not particularly good at boosting damage, and so will not be used all that often. This means that if you are playing Real Time With Pause you will only attack with your main hand if using Fists, and you are better off going with a Two-Handed Weapon to make best use of Torment’s Reach and Skyward Kick, as these are Primary Attacks, and don’t use the off-hand weapon. This will save your Mortification to be spent on Swift Strikes and Dance of Death, which will significantly boost your DPS. However, consider swapping back to Fists later on in the game, when you have access to Flagellant’s Path and Whispers of the Wind to make best use of these.

If you’re playing Turn-Based, all of your normal attacks will hit with both Fists, giving you the flexibility to use them until you gain Torment’s Reach at level 5. Once you have this Ability, it is again advised that you use a Two-Handed Weapon as it is a Primary Attack and will not allow you to strike with both Fists. Much like Real Time With Pause, consider switching back to Fists when you get later in the game and have access to the Abilities mentioned above. You really don’t need to spend Mortification on Swift Strikes in this game mode until you have the Lightning Strikes upgrade, as increasing your Action Speed is far less useful.

In either game mode, it is not a bad idea to keep one weapon set of Fists and one with a Two-Handed, swapping between them as necessary based on enemy Armor values. If you’re playing a Multiclass Monk, you will never gain access to the upgrades to Flagellant’s Path, or gain the Whispers of the Wind ability, so you’ll be much better off staying Two-Handed, than switching back to Fists. Note that while Xoti’s Lantern is enticing for the resource return it provides, it will significantly reduce your damage, nearly defeating its purpose entirely so I don’t recommend using it with this Build.

Armor-wise you’ll want something Light so that she can attack quickly in order to get kills. In Turn-Based this is less important since she’ll only get one turn per round anyway, so you can get away with heavier Armor if you’re playing that game mode.

Xoti Monk Abilities

In this section we’re going to cover the “must have” Monk Abilities for this Build. These are the ones that really make the Build work, and ones that anyone playing this way should take. Since this is a Single Class Build, let’s take a look at the Monk Skills.

Monk

Swift Strikes – This buff gives you +5 Dexterity and +15% Action Speed for 10.0 seconds. This is much more useful in Real Time With Pause, and you won’t use it much in Turn-Based until you can upgrade it to Lightning Strikes.

Mortification of the Soul – This ability gives you Wounds, and is a great way to gain them if you aren’t being hit, which is why we take it. The damage you take is minimal, and worth taking, so don’t be afraid to use this often.

Dance of Death – This ability is a great way to increase your Wound generation, and it adds Accuracy which you can never have enough of. Try to spend your Mortification on this when you are pretty sure you won’t be hit.

Two Weapon Style – This passive reduces your Recovery Time while Duel-Wielding even further, which is great for Real Time With Pause, but it is not needed in Turn-Based.

Lightning Strikes – This upgrade to Swift Strikes adds +15% Damage dealt as Shock with Weapons. This is huge because it adds this after all other damage calculations have finished, making it a very strong buff.

Blade Turning – This Ability is excellent when you are in a tough spot and getting wailed on by 1 or more enemies. Pop this when you can’t kill the enemy you are fighting before it kills you, and watch it kill itself while you take no damage.

Torment’s Reach – This Ability is fantastic and deals increased damage, and hits enemies in a cone behind your target, Staggering them. This will increases the DPS of your Monk, so take it as soon as you hit level 5.

Duality of Mortal Presence – This toggle ability allows you to gain Constitution or Intellect for each Wound you have, which is fantastic. This will give you an additional +10 Intellect if you have 10 Wounds, for example.

Thunderous Blows – This buff gives your +5 Might and +2 Penetration for 12 seconds and costs 3 Wounds with this Build. Pick and choose when to spend Wounds on this, because the Haymaker Ability does not stack with it, and you may be better off saving your Wounds for Torment’s Reach or Skyward Kick.

Enduring Dance – It’s very difficult to maintain Dance of Death without this upgrade, so this is well worth the investment. This will save you a lot of Mortification, which is great, because it’s not easy to come by.

Rooting Pain – This passive does damage around you, that Interrupts each time you gain a Wound. This is an excellent ability because you gain Wounds quite often.

Raised Torment – This upgrade to Torment’s Reach will allow you to Stun enemies you hit, instead of Stagger, making this a very very powerful upgrade. Take it as soon as you can.

Turning Wheel – This will add +2% Damage dealt as Burn for each Wound you have. 10 Wounds = +20% Burn Damage. This makes you an absolute powerhouse, and hit like a truck, though you are unlikely to have this many Wounds per attack.

Flagellant’s Path – This gap closer allows you to get to your target instantly, which you will need to be able to do in order to take down casters in the back before they nuke you. Because it is a Full Attack you will strike with Both Fists, which is another reason we take it.

Skyward Kick – This ability is the best way to spend your Wounds when you are focusing a single target, instead of a group, where you’d be better off using Raised Torment. It increases your Damage by 50% and Penetration by 3, which is a LOT.

Shared Pain – This upgrade to Flagellant’s Path puts a Raw Damage bleed on enemies hit by this Ability, making it much more effective.

The Razor’s Edge –  This Ability increases your Accuracy for each Wound you possess. This will usually be by about 5, so think of this Ability as a passive increase to Accuracy by 5.

Inner Death – This ability does insane damage, particularly if it Crits. You can one shot some of the more difficult enemies in the game with this Ability, so use it accordingly.

Whispers of the Wind – This Full Attack will hit up to 6 enemies at once, which is devastating. This will be your go to when you want to hit many enemies on the screen.

Empowered Strikes – This passive grants you 100 Penetration and 100 Accuracy when Empowering an Attack, which you can do once a combat. When combined with Inner Death, you can all but guarantee a Critical Hit, absolutely destroying most anything you hit. Be sure to use this when you absolutely need that Crit with Inner Death.

Final Tips

When playing with Fists, Haymaker does not increase your Penetration if you have Thunderous Blows active. For this reason, and because it slows your Recovery Time, you should NOT use this Ability in RTWP. However, it does have a place in Turn-Based, where increased Initiative is not as much of a penalty. Haymaker does not apply Penetration to the AoE of Torment’s Reach though, so you will need to use Thunderous Blows if you want to boost the Penetration of it. Long story short, Haymaker will play a role early on in Turn-Based, but will be less useful later on in the game.

Blade Turning is your go-to “oh shit” skill for this Build, as it can turn really bad situations into ones where you actually come out ahead, especially in Turn-Based. Pop this when you are surrounded by enemies or one enemy that is hitting Xoti hard to turn the tables. This skill alone allows you to play extremely aggressively, because you can always use this when things aren’t going your way.

Lastly, because Xoti has no real way of gaining Health with this Build, it’s a good idea to spend some points into Athletics to give her an emergency heal should she need it. Blade Turning will keep her alive, but Second Wind is a great way to top up when she needs it, and is always good on any character.

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Stay tuned for more Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Guides, as we cover all the Companions in preparation for the console launch.