In this Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Build Guide we’re going to be taking a look at the 7th companion you usually acquire: Pallegina. I’ll be explaining my Crusader and Herald Builds for both the regular real-time with pause and turn-based modes, so that anyone can use her effectively. If you plan to use Pallegina in your party then read on for some insight into this headstrong 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: Pallegina (Turn-Based & RTWP)

Pallegina can be found in Neketaka at the royal court. Depending on your dialogue options with the Queen, you can recruit her or Maia Rua or both of them. Once recruited, you will immediately need to choose between a Single Class Paladin, a Multiclass Crusader (Fighter/Paladin) or a Multiclass Herald (Paladin/Chanter). This can be a very tough decision for new players because it’s one that is permanent, and cannot be reversed later.

Pallegina’s stat spread is set up for front line DPS with a combination of decent Perception, modest Might and Constitution and high Resolve. She has low Dexterity so she will perform better in the Turn-Based version of the game when compared to Real Time With Pause. She can however play the ranged DPS role, though it is a bit more difficult to set her up properly.

When deciding how to Multiclass her, which you should, you cannot go wrong with either Crusader or Herald. Both are great choices, and I think it really boils down to whether or not you already have a Chanter in your party or not. If you do, then you should make her a Crusader, and if not then you should go with Herald. I’ll explain how to set her up for each of these rolls, depending on what you chose, through out this guide.

If you chose Crusader then Pallegina will be a bit of a single target DPS specialist, with some support heals. You’ll go in, buff with Disciplined Strikes and then use Flames of Devotion on the most suitable target you can find, and try to weaken or kill it quickly, using Penetrating Strike on highly armored enemies and those with immunity to fire. You’ll use Lay on Hands to heal nearby allies as necessary, while maintaining your own Health via Constant Recovery and Exalted Endurance.

If you chose Herald you’ll be buffing your party with chants like Aefyllath Ues Mith Fyr that increases the damage your party deals, while also using chants that deal damage to enemies around you like The Dragon Thrashed, The Dragon Wailed. You’ll debuff enemies with Invocations like The Shield Cracks, which lowers the Armor of each enemy struck, allowing for better Penetration party wide. Or Invocations like The Thunder Rolled Like Waves on Black Seas, Stunning enemies. You’ll use Flames of Devotion in between Invocations to attack enemies directly, or Lay on Hands to heal those who need it.

Pallegina Subclasses (Herald and Crusader)

Pallegina is a Frermas mes Canc Suolias Paladin, meaning she gains the ability Wrath of the Five Suns ability, dealing fire damage and increasing her damage against a target for 2 Zeal. Unfortunately, this ability has very poor Penetration, and doesn’t scale with Power Level, making it nearly useless in many cases. For this reason, you’d be best to think of Pallegina as a No Subclass Paladin, as she will not use this ability very often, if at all.

Pallegina comes with a No Subclass Fighter if you chose Crusader, which gives you no benefits nor any negatives. This allows you to use whichever Weapons you wish, and keeps your Constant Recovery at a decent heal every round, so is probably ideal if you don’t know what Weapon you wish to use with her. Devoted would be a better, but unfortunately we are not given that option.

Likewise, if you chose Herald, Pallegina comes with a No Subclass Chanter. No Subclass is not ideal for a Chanter, particularly one that melees, which Pallegina is likely to do. However, it doesn’t come with any negatives, making Pallegina very versatile in the Invocations she can choose. This allows you to fill in your party’s gaps, without having to plan ahead too much, and isn’t a bad choice for a new player.

Pallegina Weapons and Armor

When choosing a Weapon for Pallegina, or any Paladin, the biggest issue you’ll face is that Flames of Devotion doesn’t provide any extra Penetration at all, so you will need to find another way to get it or you will deal low damage. For this reason, I advise using Weapons that have higher base Penetration OR weapons that have Weapon Modals that allow for extra Penetration if you sacrifice something else. Good choices are: Morning Star, Sabre, Sword, Pollaxe, Stiletto or if you want to go ranged consider War Bow. Of these I particularly like Morning Star because of it’s high base damage (15 -23), good base Penetration (9), and two different damage types (Crush/Pierce).

Armor-wise you’ll want something with decent protection, but also something that doesn’t slow your Recovery Time down too much. Light or Medium Armor is good for Real Time With Pause, while you can pretty much get away with whatever you like in Turn-Based, Heavy included. Just make sure your teammates are buffed by you before they take their turns to make the most of them, so either delay their turns or wear Light Armor instead.

Pallegina Abilities

In this section we’re going to cover the “must have” Crusader and Herald Abilities for this Build. These are the ones that really make the Build work, and ones that anyone playing this way should take. Let’s start with Paladin first, since it’s found in both Builds.

Paladin Abilities

Flames of Devotion – This ability hits like a truck and is THE reason Paladins are one of the most popular classes in the game. The added burn damage is calculated after all other calculations, making it one of the strongest attacks in the game.

Lay on Hands – This ability will keep you alive when surrounded by several enemies and you will use it often. The short cast time, combined with the HoT, can make all the difference in the world and win you some fights you might not otherwise.

Retribution – This passive allows you to deal increased damage on your next attack when you take damage. It stacks up to 5x giving you a potential of +25% more damage, which is not a small amount.

Zealous Aura – This ability allows you to gain access to your Auras which affect you and all party members around you. They work like Fighter Stances and can be swapped on the fly. The Accuracy you gain from Focus Aura is extremely valuable early game.

Inspired Path – You can never have enough resources, so gaining an extra one is an easy choice. This will allow one more Lay on Hands or Flames of Devotion per fight.

Two-Handed Style – This ability increases your damage with the Morning Star, Great Sword or any other Two-Handed weapon so works extremely well. If you decided to dual wield, then take Two Weapon Style instead.

Shared Flames – This upgrade of Flames of Devotion increases the damage of those around you for a round, and can help buff team damage. Whether you picked Herald or Crusader, it makes no difference, it’s still good in either case.

Greater Lay on Hands – This upgrade of Lay on Hands not only costs the same (1 Zeal), but also gives +2 increased Armor, +5 Constitution and + 10 Health every 3 seconds. Another way we buff our Armor and stay alive with HoTs at the same time.

Exalted Endurance – This is a great Aura that heals everyone around you and gives them +1 Armor. Note that other Armor bonuses will overwrite this, such as Robust, however the healing you gain from it, makes still surpass any other Aura.

Scion of Flame – This passive will add +1 Penetration with your Flames of Devotion attacks, but not your follow up attacks even if they are buffed with the extra 10% damage dealt as Burn. Paladin’s desperately need Penetration when using Flames of Devotion so this is a great pick up.

Virtuous Triumph – Gives you a chance to gain back 1 Zeal when downing an enemy. This is a great way to gain 1 or 2 Zeal back a fight.

Fighter Abilities

Disciplined Barrage – This ability is going to increase your Accuracy with attacks, and is one of the best Fighter abilities there is.

Fighter Stances – At level 4 you’ll unlock your Fighter Stances and you’ll want to pick them up ASAP, as they are a big part of the class and build. You can switch between these while in combat, and they have some amazing effects.

Confident Aim – This ability converts 30% of Grazes to Hits with Proficient Weapons, which is a significant amount. Between this and Disciplined Barrage you should convert nearly all Grazes to Hits.

Disciplined Strikes – At level 7 you’ll gain access to this Ability and it replaces Disciplined Barrage, giving you a +25% to Crit when you would Hit in combat. All around great for increasing your damage done.

Penetrating Strike – One of the best attacks in the game for 1 Discipline, you’ll use this when Flames of Devotion doesn’t have enough Penetration to get through the enemy’s Armor. You shouldn’t need it all that often, but it’s nice to have if you run out of Zeal.

Armored Grace – This ability will reduce the Action Speed penalty you take from wearing Armor which helps with more Actions in combat. You won’t need this if you play Turn-Based, but definitely take it if playing RTWP.

Weapon Specialization – With this ability you gain just a flat increase to Proficient Weapon Damage. It’s one of the few ways we can increase our Weapon Damage so we take it and don’t look back.

Improved Critical – This passive further boosts your Crit Hit damage and should make it into the Build at some point. Again it’s one of the few ways we can boost our Weapon Damage so we pick it up.

Chanter Abilities

Come, Come Soft Winds of Death – This will be the first Phrase you take, and will last you for a long while and you won’t really need another one until later in the game. Respec to get this if you need to.

And Hel-Hyraf Crashed upon the Shield – This ability allows you to debuff enemy Armor which is great for everyone, particularly those who don’t have high Penetration weapons, and those that cast spells. Spells never seem to have enough Penetration, so this will go along way to assisting them do damage.

The Thunder Rolled Like Waves on Black Seas – This skill is a great way to Stun enemies, making them do nothing for some time or forgoing their turn. Use this one when several enemies are grouped up, so that you spare your tank some damage. Stunned enemies also have -10 Deflection, making it easier for other Party members to strike them.

At the Sound of His Voice, the Killers Froze Stiff –  A great debuff for Paralyzing enemies, allowing for a higher Crit Chance against them, as well as making them do nothing for a long time.

Aefyllath Ues Mith Fyr – This ability buffs your teams with damage when they attack, and should increase your overall group DPS by a significant amount. Use this when Fire Damage can be used effectively.

The Dragon Thrashed, The Dragon Wailed – As soon as you get access to this ability you should replace Come, Come Soft Winds of Death, and alternate between it and Aefyllath Ues Mith Fyr.

…And Evil Turned Away From the Sun – A great ability that both heals teammates and damages enemies for fire damage.

Final Tips

Consider equipping Pallegina with the Ring of Focused Flame if you went Herald. This will increase her Accuracy with Flames of Devotion by +10, giving it a total of +20 Accuracy on attacks, which is significant and should result in more Hits and Crits. It also effects Wrath of the Five Suns (if you ever use it), and And Evil Turned Away From the Sun, but does not increase the Accuracy of The Dragon Thrashed, The Dragon Wailed. You can find this in the Dark Cupboard in Neketaka, sold by Fassina.

Chanters need proper positioning to be most effective, so consider starting Pallegina in the middle of your team so she hits every with her Chants on turn one, before moving to the front lines. Always keep an eye on where your party is, and make sure she is placed for maximum impact when playing a Herald.

Pallegina can tank effectively as a Crusader if you wish her to fulfill that role instead. Simply equip her with a Medium Shield, a one handed weapon like a Saber, and make sure to take abilities like: Vigorous Defense, Hold the Line, and Weapon and Shield Style. Between Constant Recovery and Exalted Endurance you should be able to out heal just about any damage you take, and you have Lay on Hands for emergencies if you should need it.

Lastly, Pallegina is an Avian Godlike, meaning she has Resistance to Intellect and Perception Afflictions. For this reason, try to buff her or take passives that don’t give her these, since you cannot stack Resistances. Instead look for things that give her Constitution, Resolve, Dexterity or Might Resistance. Both Fighter and Chanter possess abilities that provide most, if not all of these buffs.

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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.