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It's fair to note that monks become incredible down the line but holy poo poo are they awful early. Since you're playing EE you can grab Rassad if you want to experience what a monk offers.
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Apr 8, 2015 06:02
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pureclass monks suck in BG1 but the kits are effective and scale really well at low levels (as one would hope, being that they were designed for BGEE). It's not hard to make a guy with a better build than Rasaad, at the very least.
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Apr 8, 2015 06:14
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He wants a full experience in one go, so a class that almost never equips weapons and doesn't have any sort of spell selection isn't a great recommendation.
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Apr 8, 2015 06:53
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Mortimer posted:What class combo would you recommend for someone playing through BG1/2 for the first time? I haven't played either in many years and can't remember anything about them. I know fighters and clerics are recommended for first time players and mages or sorcerers on "second runs" but Im not the "second run" type, especially on a 100 hour experience.
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Apr 8, 2015 17:15
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Skwirl posted:He wants a full experience in one go, so a class that almost never equips weapons and doesn't have any sort of spell selection isn't a great recommendation.
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Apr 8, 2015 17:36
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Mortimer posted:Thanks for the tips! Small tip: If you happen to make an Inquisitor, put two proficiency pips in two handed swords. You won't know why until the middle of BG2, but trust me, you won't regret it.
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Apr 9, 2015 20:06
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While not as paladin-specific as the BG2 example, two-handers are great even before then - the Spider's Bane is probably the best weapon in the game in BG1.
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Apr 9, 2015 20:55
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Mortimer posted:Thanks for the tips! I can't speak for BG1 (I played a pure fighter and it was lame), but in BG2 I played a half-elf stalker kit and it was a blast. It's got some perks--triple backstab eventually, decent saving throws, hide in shadows, and they can eventually cast haste, however they are somewhat fragile (can't wear anything heavier than studded leather armor). As far as pips go, you've got a lot of choices, but the kit is kind of tailored towards dual wielding. You can get some pretty absurd weapon combos by late-BG2 to TOB, especially if you take Minsc and have him dual-wield also.
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Apr 9, 2015 23:01
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How do you use backstab?
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Apr 10, 2015 12:44
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Its automatic if you're hidden and standing directly behind the enemy. Only works with the weapons that are available to a vanilla thief cass
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Apr 10, 2015 14:14
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Quick question: for BG2 (GOG version) multiplayer, are you able to have the various companion NPCs in the party, or is the party entire player-created? I'd like to play through with a friend, but we want to keep all the companion banter, dialogue, quests, etc.
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Apr 12, 2015 00:58
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Cantorsdust posted:Quick question: for BG2 (GOG version) multiplayer, are you able to have the various companion NPCs in the party, or is the party entire player-created? I'd like to play through with a friend, but we want to keep all the companion banter, dialogue, quests, etc. You can mix and match both the game's companions with ones you create in multiplayer. Though I haven't tried it, I think you'd have a much smoother multiplayer experience if you get the Enhanced Editions, old Baldur's Gate multiplayer was a pain in the rear end to get working correctly. Just a heads up if you haven't got the game yet and don't mind springing twenty bucks.
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Apr 12, 2015 01:06
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I had the opposite problem, we couldn't get the enhanced edition to launch a multiplayer game at all. Proceeding from the character management screen invariably crashed straight to the desktop.
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Apr 12, 2015 06:38
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So the addition of kits in Icewind Dale EE has me jonesing to play the game again. Thing is, it has been forever since I've played IWD. A) I'm planning on doing a gimmick run of Rogueish characters only. Current idea is something like: Half Orc Fighter/Thief Elven Stalker Elven Assassin <Bounty Hunter or Swashbuckler?> Skald Cleric/Thief multiclass Any ideas on how to refine this are welcome. B) What weapon types are most supported in IWD, so I can place my pips wisely.
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Apr 12, 2015 16:41
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Captain Oblivious posted:So the addition of kits in Icewind Dale EE has me jonesing to play the game again. Thing is, it has been forever since I've played IWD. I would suggest a Mage/Thief. Also, Bounty Hunters are way cooler than Swashbuckler but both are fun.
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Apr 12, 2015 18:36
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amanasleep posted:I would suggest a Mage/Thief. Also, Bounty Hunters are way cooler than Swashbuckler but both are fun. Gnome illusionist/thief, use Jan's portrait from BG2. Cleric/thieves are sorta annoying because a lot of their important buttons are hidden in a second menu, and completely unnecessary if you're going to have other thief characters. just make an evil cleric and RP them as a cleric of Cyric or something, hell there was a mod that added a poo poo ton of Cleric kits to BG2, see if you can find a version that works with IWD and literally be a cleric of Cyric or Shar or whatever.
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Apr 12, 2015 19:21
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Skwirl posted:Gnome illusionist/thief, use Jan's portrait from BG2. I know Cleric/Thief isn't strictly optimal, but a party who's premise is "as many Rogue types and as many backstabbers as possible" is the idea. It's more about optimization within a given set of parameters.  My aversion to a Mage/Thief is mostly cuz I figure a Bard does a mages job just as well for the vast majority of IWD but I'm prepared to be convinced otherwise.
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Apr 12, 2015 20:07
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Are there any good minimalist "modern UIs for BG1, 2 or ID1. All for enhanced edition if that helps.
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Apr 13, 2015 01:37
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Mortimer posted:What class combo would you recommend for someone playing through BG1/2 for the first time? I haven't played either in many years and can't remember anything about them. I know fighters and clerics are recommended for first time players and mages or sorcerers on "second runs" but Im not the "second run" type, especially on a 100 hour experience. If you like magical knights, go bard and take the Blade kit. They can use swords and the same spells that wizards use, and can invest in dual-wielding, which is good for once you're in BG2. They also have "Offensive Spin" which is a temporary speed, attacks-per-round, and damage buff, as well as "Defensive Spin" which makes you unable to move but makes you very difficult to be hit. In BG1, just use a bow and a single weapon or 2h weapon (avoid dual-wielding since it takes some weapon point investment). You won't be immediately powerful, but you'll definitely notice a steady increase in strength over time. Blades are cool and are basically Fighter/Mages that are easier to manage.
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Apr 13, 2015 05:12
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Cephas posted:Blades are cool and are basically Fighter/Mages that are easier to manage. Easier to manage?
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Apr 13, 2015 07:52
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Fighter/Mage/Thief is still dope.
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Apr 13, 2015 19:18
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Smol posted:Easier to manage? For a new player, that is, by virtue of being a single-class character. No having to deal with the experience gain rate of a multi-classed character, and no potential confusion about how their levels work.
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Apr 13, 2015 19:30
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My sorceror picked up Dire Charm earlier, and now I have the option to take Domination from the level 5 spell list. What's the main difference between the two? Is it worth having both?
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Apr 13, 2015 19:34
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The difference is Domination is harder to resist. In my mind, Domination has to compete with all the awesome 5th level spells though, so I generally wouldn't take it on a sorcerer, especially if you have the extremely similar dire charm.
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Apr 13, 2015 19:38
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Good Old Games is having a pretty decent sale on IE games for the next 18 hours or so. It's cheaper (80% off) to buy the whole bundle, but there's still a decent (60% off) discount on individual titles, which include all the games we're talking about in this thread. $4 CAD each on my end, pretty drat decent indeed.
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Apr 13, 2015 19:42
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So I finally picked up BGT again after a couple of months of ignoring it. I managed to finish deArnise Keep, and got it as a stronghold. It baffles me that there are mods that make the game more difficult, because I still feel like I'm struggling through the game on Normal difficulty. I feel like the Infinity Engine doesn't handle path-finding well in small, narrow areas. Half the time when I send my party through a doorway, everybody get caught up and one or two characters will start heading off in the opposite direction. If it sounds like I'm just complaining, I don't mean to. I finished the first game, and I'd like to complete BG2 and ToB. The party I have currently consists of Minsc, Yoshimo, Jaheira, Aerie, and Nalia. In most encounters, I have my character (a Fighter) and Minsc attack up close while the other four members attack from a distance with arrows, slings, and spells. I planned on replacing Nalia once I got back to the Copper Coronet, since she's a dual-class thief/mage, and Yoshimo and Aerie both fit those roles. I know that Yoshimo betrays you later in the game , but that he drops an item that gives you a lot of experience.
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Apr 13, 2015 23:36
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What exactly are you struggling with? If you're planning on dropping Nalia, who are you going to replace her with? You could do with an extra front-liner probably (I'd have Jaheira up there too) so there are a few decent candidates out there. Aerie will probably tell you to go back and chat to Quayle soon enough (or you can just head to the Five Flagons in the Bridge district and bypass the hint) which will lead you to my preferred choice to round out the party, a front-liner with a magical twist. Alternatively, head to the Temple district to meet a character who'll make enemy mages cry.
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Apr 14, 2015 16:07
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Max Wilco posted:So I finally picked up BGT again after a couple of months of ignoring it. I managed to finish deArnise Keep, and got it as a stronghold. Yeah, path finding sucks, there's no way around that one. A big part of figuring the combat system out can come down to personal style, no matter how big backstabs are I've never liked messing around with that approach to combat, but some people love them. I'd say your best bet is to focus on the basics, have an even split between some big meaty front line melee guys and back line magic users, use your mages to buff your melee guys and strip enemy defenses while your melee guys pound enemies down. It can take some time to figure out what buffs work best, haste is always a good idea, while priest spells bless, protection from evil, and chant are decent. Debuffs can get trickier when you try to break down what spells counter what protections, but rule of thumb is a high level character casting dispel magic takes care of most concerns, otherwise it's the breach/pierce magic/ruby ray of reversal/Khelben's warding whip routine. If you do sort through all that it becomes pretty easy to break the game in half, at which point difficulty mods come in, but if the basic game seems pretty crazy don't feel bad, it took me literally a couple years of trying to figure out how to handle the combat system.
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Apr 14, 2015 17:05
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Max Wilco posted:So I finally picked up BGT again after a couple of months of ignoring it. I managed to finish deArnise Keep, and got it as a stronghold. For example, vampires are best dealt with by using a melee tank with the mace of disruption and another non-fighter/thief melee (tank) with the amulet of power, to avoid level drain. Other threats are better dealt with a lone sorceror or wizard with the Robe of Vecna, Robe of Power, Cloak of Non-Detection and the Staff of the Magi (or else a reliable source of invisibility) rattling off potent area spells only to pop back into invisibility. Particularly useful to soften up enemy parties using Cloudkill, Death Fog (or Death) without having them run towards the caster and out of the area of effect. Sometimes your ranged dude won't have the ammunition to make a difference, and it's better to leave them aside rather than micro-manage another element which doesn't really help much in an important battle.
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Apr 14, 2015 17:14
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So, playing Pillars of Eternity has made me want to give Baldur's Gate another shot. I've had several abortive attempts in the past, but I've never gotten very far. Anyway, I bought the Enhanced Editions when they were on sale a while back, and I was wondering about mods for them. Are there any that people would recommend for a first playthrough? Are unofficial patches needed for the EEs? Also, I was planning on playing a Sorcerer, and I was wondering if the Dragon Disciple kit is worthwhile. Note that I'm not very good at these games and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up turning the difficulty all the way down at some point.
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Apr 14, 2015 22:55
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sebzilla posted:What exactly are you struggling with? I don't know really. Maybe I'm doing better than I think. Maybe my problem is that I assume I'm better equipped or skilled then I actually am. I figured that my Lvl. 9 Fighter with Full Plate Armor and 4 pips in Long Sword could take out enemies pretty quickly and avoid taking a lot of damage, but maybe that 's not the case. I know this is a cheesy tactic, but I always save and rest after every fight. to gain back the health I've lost and get my spells back. I also reload if someone dies in a fight, so they don't fall behind in terms of experience. Thaddius the Large posted:Yeah, path finding sucks, there's no way around that one. A big part of figuring the combat system out can come down to personal style, no matter how big backstabs are I've never liked messing around with that approach to combat, but some people love them. I'd say your best bet is to focus on the basics, have an even split between some big meaty front line melee guys and back line magic users, use your mages to buff your melee guys and strip enemy defenses while your melee guys pound enemies down. It can take some time to figure out what buffs work best, haste is always a good idea, while priest spells bless, protection from evil, and chant are decent. Debuffs can get trickier when you try to break down what spells counter what protections, but rule of thumb is a high level character casting dispel magic takes care of most concerns, otherwise it's the breach/pierce magic/ruby ray of reversal/Khelben's warding whip routine. I think you also addressed what might be one of the issues I'm having, which is that I don't use buffs/debuffs. Partially it's because of what you pointed out; that it's a process of figuring out what counters what. The bigger issue is that as far as spells go, I really only use two types: healing and offensive. Occasionally, I'll use something like Web, but I don't use spells like Doom or Hold Person or anything like that, mostly because I assume it won't work or help in most cases. On top of that, when using offensive spells, it's usually spells that attack directly, like Magic Missile or the like. Spells with a AOE I avoid for the most part because it means I'll hit a party member on the front line, or it'll affect the whole party if it's in a small enough area. Like Kenny Logins said, though, it might help to change tactics in order to make those types of spells useful. When I picked up Aerie, I proceeded to add a ton of spells that I had picked up in Irenicus's dungeon. Looking back, that might have been a mistake, since most of those spells were offensive. I guess I'll switch out Nalia with Haer Dalis or Keldorn, and try to acquire some more support spells.At this point, I've got about 20,000 gold, which I think is what I need to move to Chapter 3. I think what might help a lot is if I hold off from doing that and try to level up and get some more practice with combat. Maybe then, I'll get a better handle on what I'm dong wrong.
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Apr 15, 2015 00:17
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Viscardus posted:So, playing Pillars of Eternity has made me want to give Baldur's Gate another shot. I've had several abortive attempts in the past, but I've never gotten very far. For an experienced player, a pure sorcerer can realistically solo BG2 and probably TOB.
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Apr 15, 2015 00:36
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Max Wilco posted:I don't know really. Maybe I'm doing better than I think. Maybe my problem is that I assume I'm better equipped or skilled then I actually am. I figured that my Lvl. 9 Fighter with Full Plate Armor and 4 pips in Long Sword could take out enemies pretty quickly and avoid taking a lot of damage, but maybe that 's not the case. Honestly there aren't many direct damage spells I bother with any more; magic missile is great for interrupting casters, fireball/skull trap have their place, and the high level ones have some aesthetic upsides even if they aren't the most efficient use of mages (Al'Whosits Wilted Writing is awesome, Dragon's Breath is a big ol' explosion, and Death Spell doesn't work against mobs worth anything, but there's something just satisfying about a spell that kills like 25 trash mobs in one second). At the end of the day, though, it's the utility spells that get the most bang for your buck.
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Apr 15, 2015 00:39
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Kenny Logins posted:Pure sorcerer is better than dragon disciple. The spells/day sacrifice just arent't worth it. Fire resistance isn't hard to get (or always that useful), neither is regeneration, and the slightly better AC stops mattering by endgame BG2/TOB. The breath weapon isn't useful either. Just to play dragon's advocate, since Sorcerers are so powerful, sacrificing a spell a day still leaves you with a very powerful class. I have found the Con bonus to be pretty relevant in providing regeneration while freeing up ring slots, and up to the end game the improved AC can be useful. Lastly, you can stack fire resistance to get above 100%, at which point dropping a fireball at point blank range will actually heal you while damaging enemies. It's a bit of a different play style but I made an evocation and combat focused Dragon Disciple and had a lot of fun with it. Smashing Link fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 01:11
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Smashing Link posted:Just to play dragon's advocate, since Sorcerers are so powerful, sacrificing a spell a day still leaves you with a very powerful class. The AC and Con bonuses can also be significant later in the game, as you can realistically achieve enough Con to have continuous regeneration, and the AC increase survivability. Lastly, you can stack fire resistance to get above 100%, at which point dropping a fireball at point blank range will actually heal you while damaging enemies. It's a bit of a different play style but I made an evocation and combat focused Dragon Disciple and had a lot of fun with it. If it was a different campaign where regeneration was rare the CON bonuses might be worth it, and yeah you're correct in that you're still left with a decent kit. Can't remember if DD gets better hit points than normal, or if they benefit from high CON for HP like fighters do.
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Apr 15, 2015 01:14
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Kenny Logins posted:Good Old Games is having a pretty decent sale on IE games for the next 18 hours or so. It's cheaper (80% off) to buy the whole bundle, but there's still a decent (60% off) discount on individual titles, which include all the games we're talking about in this thread. I already had it on GoG, but still, your post reminded me that I've owned at least 6 copies of each IE game now. 
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Apr 15, 2015 02:38
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Kenny Logins posted:Pure sorcerer is better than dragon disciple. The spells/day sacrifice just arent't worth it. Fire resistance isn't hard to get (or always that useful), neither is regeneration, and the slightly better AC stops mattering by endgame BG2/TOB. The breath weapon isn't useful either. Smashing Link posted:Just to play dragon's advocate, since Sorcerers are so powerful, sacrificing a spell a day still leaves you with a very powerful class. I have found the Con bonus to be pretty relevant in providing regeneration while freeing up ring slots, and up to the end game the improved AC can be useful. Lastly, you can stack fire resistance to get above 100%, at which point dropping a fireball at point blank range will actually heal you while damaging enemies. It's a bit of a different play style but I made an evocation and combat focused Dragon Disciple and had a lot of fun with it. Thanks to both of you for the advice. I think I will go with Dragon Disciple, then. I'm not too worried about being a little less powerful, and I just kind of like the idea of having a bunch of weird bonuses, even if they're not amazingly useful.  While I'm at it, any recommendations for how I should build/equip/play my character? I originally wanted to play some kind of fighter/mage, but I really strongly prefer the sorcerer mechanics. I'm guessing that even with the defensive bonuses of the Dragon Disciple I'm probably not going to want my character on the front lines, though. And if anyone could answer my first question about mods, I would appreciate that as well.
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Apr 15, 2015 04:02
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Viscardus posted:Thanks to both of you for the advice. I think I will go with Dragon Disciple, then. I'm not too worried about being a little less powerful, and I just kind of like the idea of having a bunch of weird bonuses, even if they're not amazingly useful. If you're jumping straight into BG2 save up and buy Robe of Vecna ASAP. Otherwise just whatever defensive stuff with the highest +, whatever staffs or wands with cool abilities, then pick either darts or slings and stock up on magic ammo, but it's not a huge deal (hell grab both, you'll get more than one proficiency point, and there's not a huge point in being proficient in staves if you never plan on trying to hit someone with one, daggers also don't have a ton of actual application to sorcerers, but I think there are a couple returning throwing ones.). Amulet of Power and anything that grants extra spells is great too. Edit: For mods, since you're running EE You really don't need any for a first run through. Tweak pack is good for unlimited stacking, but the higher limits EE has are good enough for minimizing the micromanagement, and the other stuff is either stuff that should be in a cheat pack, or you don't know if you want to tweak that aspect yet or not. The fixpack is I think, incompatible with EE. Everything else either changes the game mechanics enough that I wouldn't recommend it if you've never played the game before, or is super creepy. Air Skwirl fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 04:37
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Viscardus posted:Thanks to both of you for the advice. I think I will go with Dragon Disciple, then. I'm not too worried about being a little less powerful, and I just kind of like the idea of having a bunch of weird bonuses, even if they're not amazingly useful. Skwirl posted:If you're jumping straight into BG2 save up and buy Robe of Vecna ASAP. Otherwise just whatever defensive stuff with the highest +, whatever staffs or wands with cool abilities, then pick either darts or slings and stock up on magic ammo, but it's not a huge deal (hell grab both, you'll get more than one proficiency point, and there's not a huge point in being proficient in staves if you never plan on trying to hit someone with one, daggers also don't have a ton of actual application to sorcerers, but I think there are a couple returning throwing ones.). The mage stronghold quest gives a ring that grants bonus spells/day for low-level spells, Jaheira's Harper quest has a ring in it which gives same but for higher-level spells. The Staff of the Magi is a really great staff but comes as the result of a very difficult battle. Likewise, there's also the Ring of Gaxx which is really handy but is at the tail end of one of the game's hardest fights. Quarterstaff is a really good proficiency to have (mostly because your options are limited) but there is eventually a staff you come across usable basically just by mages that can instakill golems, and you'll want to be able to hit with it. A scroll of Tenser's Transformation would be an asset for those fights, as golems tend to be tough to scratch with magic. Darts are a good early-game ranged weapon as are slings but eventually returning daggers are probably what you'll use (I tend to give really good slings to my cleric for a back-up option). Most of the time if it's a fight you would automatically have your caster do mundane ranged attacks in, it's a fight you should keep your caster out of entirely. I didn't really use wands or scrolls too much but they will yield dividends if you think about how to use them (plus a scroll case makes scrolls easy to lug around). As far as spells go, a lot of low-level ones you won't use much as you go on. Skull Trap is useful for a long time (even just as a sequencer later), as is Death Spell in SoA. I liked Fireball in the early game, pre-Death Spell. Cloudkill (and Death Fog) are handy to soften up a room, in conjunction with invisibility as I indicated a few posts ago. Some may say sorcerers shouldn't get contingencies/sequencers but I find they make spellcasters unique and fun, especially where you say you like to rest/heal a lot. Something to be said for dropping 3 Horrid Wilting on mobs on sight, later on. Earlier, Magic Missile is a great sequencer pick. For big battles (dragons, mostly) you will use Breach, Lower Resistance, Greater Malison, and Finger of Death (Polymorph Other, earlier on) to trivialize them. Although there's lots of levels of enchantment-busters, Breach is pretty drat useful for a long time until you get to the high end and take Spell Strike. This FAQ gets into the nuts and bolts of spell selection while being fairly succinct, but don't feel bound by it.
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Apr 15, 2015 13:22
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Cool, thanks again for the advice, guys (although to be clear, I'm starting with BG, not BG2).
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Apr 15, 2015 15:15
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