The Sage Behind the Guides
I’m Aestus, and I’ve been playing computer RPGs for over twenty years. What started with the Baldur’s Gate series in the late ’90s turned into a lifelong obsession with the systems that make these games tick — the math behind the magic, the builds behind the victories, the design decisions that separate a great RPG from a good one.
Aestus Guides is where I put that experience to work. Every guide on this site comes from hundreds of hours of play, testing, and analysis. When I write a tier list, I explain my methodology first. When I recommend a build, I show you exactly how to construct it. I don’t do clickbait and I don’t do shallow — if you’re here, you’re the kind of player who wants to understand why something works, not just that it does.
What You’ll Find Here
Tier Lists & Guides — Deep analytical breakdowns of classes, companions, weapons, and builds across games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Pillars of Eternity, and Pathfinder. These aren’t quick rankings — they’re full analyses with reasoning, build outlines, and honest acknowledgment of subjectivity.
System Analysis — Articles exploring the fundamental math and design principles behind CRPG combat systems. How initiative actually works. Why some multiclass combinations are mathematically superior. The hidden numbers that shape every encounter.
Interviews — Conversations with game designers and creators in the CRPG and tabletop RPG space, exploring the craft behind the games we love.
Pathfinder Journals — A veteran RPG player’s honest account of diving into a new system for the first time, documenting the learning curve, the surprises, and the builds along the way.
The Name
Aestus is Latin for heat, passion, fervor. It felt right for a site driven by genuine enthusiasm for these games — not obligation, not content farming, but the kind of deep engagement that comes from truly loving a genre.
Memoirs of a CRPG Sage — because after twenty-plus years in these worlds, you accumulate a lot of stories, a lot of knowledge, and a lot of opinions worth sharing.
Connect
You can find me on YouTube where I discuss builds and game analysis in video form, or support the site on Patreon.
All content on this site is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — you’re free to share and adapt it for non-commercial purposes with attribution.