Perhaps if you are more specific with what you’re having trouble with and why, and what you’ve tried that isn’t working, we can give you some advice, anon. It’s not a hard game, many of us beat it as children

>>3659179
I don't believe you.

>>3659184
I don't know how to play. I try solo'ing because I don't have the patience to manage a party of +4 people and always suck at battling mages or magical creatures. I can't even beat Firkraag without using Feeblemind or some other cheese. I end up deleting the game after chapter 2 because I'm too impatient to do any other quests other than the Shadow Thieves or the slaves in the slums.

>>3659189
Why do you even want to play a game you don't enjoy?

>>3659191
I don't know. I've had this game since I was 12 years-old and was never been able to beat it.

>>3659179
>>3659189
There you have it. You are an impatient impotent brainrotten zoomerfaggot.

I am afraid there's no cure.

/thread/

>pick a class that doesn't suck
>pick companions that dont suck
>do everything you can before going to spellhold
>TOB isnt worth playing

>>3659201
>>3659202
Should I just read the AD&D rules so I can play this stupid game?

>>3659189
>I don't know how to play.
Start with a decent party composition. Get several melee front-liners, you'll want a thief for traps and locks, at least one divine caster, and at least one arcane caster. Do you play good or evil parties?
>I try solo'ing because I don't have the patience to manage a party of +4 people
I would not solo as a new player, it requires meta-gaming and knowledge. Stick with a traditional party of six.
>and always suck at battling mages or magical creatures.
If you're a goody two-shoes, recruit Keldorn in the temple sewers, he is an inquisitor kit paladin and they have a very powerful dispel magic ability that can help. Learn the breach spell on your mages to strip enemy mage protections.
>I end up deleting the game after chapter 2 because I'm too impatient to do any other quests other than the Shadow Thieves or the slaves in the slums
There's not actually any urgency, you can spend all the time you like here building your party, going adventuring, doing quests, getting experience and levels, and finding or buying better gear. I would save the shadow thieves for last after you've done everything else you can do.
>>3659202
This is all good advice, though I'd say TOB is worth playing once but only once.
>>3659203
>Should I just read the AD&D rules so I can play this stupid game?
Start with the game manual, and in-game descriptions of abilities and spells. What specifically are you confused by?

>>3659203
You don't need to read any rules, and it's likely most won't make sense anyway because they're not really the same game.
If you have trouble with spellcasters, play an Inquisitor Paladin. Pickup Aerie for your spells and heals, and you can use Yoshimo for theivery until you get Imoen back.

File: GW7Qo_4W4AA_pu1.jpg (32 KB, 600x675)

32 KB JPG

Easy, pick a:


>White
>Male
>Fighter

>>3659207
>Do you play good or evil parties?
Most recently I've been just playing with the standard party: Jaheira, Minsc, Yoshimo (even though I know he'll betray me but he's the best thief) and Aerie. I picked cavalier because of Carsomyr but I just don't know to do buffs and counter act against mages and other creatures.

>>3659211
Inquisitor is better than Cavalier, especially for the problem you seem to be having. They get Dispel Magic as an ability, it casts instantly and at their level, so it will easily strip down every mage in SOA.

>>3659179
I was just going to post on the other thread about how I'm falling in love with the game. It took some getting used to, but now I'm completely immersed.
I'm playing with an old PC and monitor, so the nostalgic feel is maximized. Lowest resolution too. Getting almost too comfy over here.
>>3659189
>I try solo'ing because I don't have the patience to manage a party
Sounds like you're stubbornly fighting against the game, to be honest.
I don't find myself micromanaging too much.

>>3659211
>>3659218
*inquisitor dispel is actually double your level, so its even better than i remember
Also, Jaheira is an ok party member. She's annoying, but not useless. Insect Swarm is one of the best ways to kill enemy casters. Druids get heals too, and they have some pretty nasty damage spells, but most can only be used outside.
Minsc is pretty garbage. His low int makes him a terrible target for a lot of nasty enemies, and his con isnt great. There are ways around those problems, but he will always be missing one utility slot because of boo. If you're playing a fighter type as MC, you dont really need him, and there are better options if you do need someone like him.

>>3659237
Should I choose Anomen, Mazzy and Keldorn instead? Whenever there's a big battle I end up losing Minsc, Yoshimo or Aerie.

>>3659211
>I picked cavalier because of Carsomyr
This is based and thematic, cavalier is my favorite kit to play, though inquisitor is probably better due to how good the dispel is. You can always recruit Keldorn, he's already and inquisitor and you can use his dispel, and keep playing a cavalier, and use Carsomyr, which has its own dispel-on-hit.

If I were gonna replay, I'd do paladin MC, Keldorn, Minsc, Anomen (you can guide him into being less of a twat, by giving him wise advice on his path to knighthood), Imoen (substitute Nalia in the early game), and Aerie. Three or four frontliners capable of melee, one thief, two clerics, two mages.

Beyond that, maybe your tactics need work? Engage with your front liners first to tie up the enemies, keep your squishies in the back and out of harm's way. Lean in to control and disabling spells over pure damage for your casters.

>>3659242
Mazzy and Keldorn would work fine. Anomen is only worth keeping around if you plan to do his quest with the good result, otherwise most people tend to find him insufferable. He gets a bad rep, but he's not too bad as a build if he gets all the good items. He's not necessary with Keldorn and Mazzy around, unless you also plan to retire Keldorn eith his personal quest.

>>3659249
I did a run with a FeMC Paladin, romanced Anomen, and with Imoen and Nalia. Mostly just wanted to see what would happen (cheesy as fuck), but the party ended up being pretty damn comfy. Anomen with Crom, MC with Carsomyr, Imoen and Nalia shooting their shortbow/crossbows while throwing around fireballs... good times. I had played through BG1, too, so my MC had utterly ridiculous stats.

>>3659179
How? its one of the easiest CRPGs i have ever played and its casual player friendly.

>>3659179
man just use cliche team: strong barbarian, smart wizard, wise priest, dex thief and bard as a side kick if you really want

>>3659311
Bards are shit in Baldur's Gate. I really like them in 3rd ed games though.

>>3659189
wow youre a creting
SHINE (die)

>>3659311
>>3659314
Only bard that doesnt suck donkey dick is blade, but its basically not a bard either. Bard would have been soooooooooo much better in BG1 and 2 if the song was a toggle and didnt turn off if you did literally anything else.

>>3659339
*this isn't to say that bard would be any better as a class, but it would be less tedious and more fun to play, which is its major problem, imo.

sounds like OP doesn't know how to play dungeons and dragons at all if he's trying to do a solo run, that's basically impossible no matter what you're up against

this thread might just be bait.jpg

>>3659341
No, it isn't. I think I'm just too dumb to play DND at all. I can't manage a party and most of the characters end up dying

>>3659345
then play the elder scrolls, where you only have to deal with having a party if you install mods that let you have one, aside from certain plot related essential NPCs

you can also turn the difficulty down to pure faceroll and have a comfy time

>>3659348
That's the purpose of this thread. I wanna get good at Baldur's Gate and not play Elders Scrolls. I'm looking for guides, walkthroughs or anything

>>3659349
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/258273-baldurs-gate-ii-shadows-of-amn/faqs/34147

>>3659351
I don't have a problem with the quests. I have a problem with the battle system. I can't seem to know how to manage characters while facing groups of enemies with mages, vampires etc.

It's impossible to be bad at bg2. A guide isn't needed because it's just using the correct spells. There are no "builds". I dont know how you get all the way to ToB and not understand the game. Also, IE games are not elevated above Skyrim, these are both normal trash games.

What the hell is this awful thread?

>>3659314
that sword maestro bard is pretty good

>>3659193
If you actually cared, you would've beat it by now. Just accept that you don't really care.

>>3659349
i'm not trying to be a dick or anything, but from reading this thread, it just sounds like it isn't your style of game

the whole thing about dungeons and dragons is sometimes you get a bad roll, you get skullfucked and you die, and that's just part of the game

have you ever played any of the final fantasy games before? the party management there is a lot simpler because there's no actual movement grid, and ff6 pixel remastered is pretty fuckin good and ff7 classic still stands the test of time, imo, then double back to ff1 and/or ff4 if you want to see yourself get obliterated

>>3659364
Not OP but you post like a complete retard who doesn't know what he's talking about.

>>3659364
>the whole thing about dungeons and dragons is sometimes you get a bad roll, you get skullfucked and you die, and that's just part of the game
No it isn't. That's not true at all.

>>3659392
i was the dungeon master in my tweens playing AD&D 2.0 with my group of irl friends, and we had a lot of house rules suggested by one of the players fathers to make the game easier for us such as the -10 bleedout rule and rolling 4d6 then dropping the highest dice to get stats, and if you happen to actually roll 24, then you get a 19

shit happens like you a nat 20 with the vorpal blade and if the target has a head it's just done

modern d&d is a lot less stringy and more balanced honestly, but i had fun doing what i did when i was a kid

regarding the guy who called me the gamer word, i've never played BG2, so that's why i don't know what i'm talking about, beyond that, i'm sorry that you can't read words, furthermore, i'm the inventor of reddit spacing, so you're welcome

>>3659406
I'm not going to read your post. You posted something dead wrong. Do not post on this board again.

>>3659411
make a saving throw

>>3659406
Fuck off, you stupid faggot. Everything you post is retarded.

>>3659411
you think i posted something objectively wrong? it took me one google search to prove i'm correct

https://adnd2e.fandom.com/wiki/Poison_(Wizard_Spell)

this spell is available in the midgame and it's just straight up instant death, if an npc has it, a PC can just straight up die immediately if someone else isn't prepared to immediately react

>>3659345
>I can't manage a party and most of the characters end up dying
You don't have to manage them.
1. Create a fighter MC
2. Select whole party and have them attack the same target one by one.
3. Make sure fighter meets the enemy first to gain aggro
That's most fights.

>>3659211
Yoshimo is not the best thief. He's honestly one of the worst companions in the game. He's a weak kit single class thief. Jan is the best NPC thief if you don't want to make your own because he's also a mage.
All you need to know about mages is that True Sight lets you see them and Breach lets your bruisers hit them.
Buffs are not really that insane really. You don't need to prebuff encounters unless you know it is a serious one. Haste when you want to kill fast. Chaotic Commands to stop mind affecting spells. Prot from Evil 10' for a +2 AC bonus. I guess Death Ward is good but not really that useful in the base game. Call Upon Holy Might for people who get it.

>>3659442
Imagine needing this explained to you for an easy video game most people beat as children

>>3659179
Wtf I just noticed that a character is missing her gear, after a tough fight with mages. A bug or a feature?? Fuck if I have to load and do it again

>>3659526
Did they die and you resurrected them? Their gear is dropped on death.

>>3659179
Use long term buffs (get a mod to do this without tedium)
Save a lot so you can fight the vast number of mindless trash battles without ever pausing
When you do die reload and fight with pausing, you will win because the game is very easy if you pause
That's it

>>3659442
>Yoshimo is not the best thief.
i think by "the best thief", he means he's the only pure thief... since OP is a noob, I'm guessing he doesn't realize that thieving skills are generally useless in the game and Imoen with her 7 (and almost Nalia at her 4) thief levels are actually enough to pick every lock. Potions are plentiful and make up for any lack of skill there might be (which is really only a problem in TOB).
still, bounty hunter isn't a terrible kit. trap thieves tend to be the way they are played, anyway.
and Jan is obviously the best thief, mostly because he doesn't die and he actually continues to gain thief levels (not that it matters).

>>3660081
Thief levels don't matter for points (or saving throws or THAC0, really, bad at both), but having thief HLAs really helps. Imoen and Nalia don't get that.
Speaking of which, Nalia is very underrated. I mean, I get that people don't use her because she's insufferable, but a free ring of protection+2/ring of fire resistance is better than the meaningless extra INT and thief skills imoen gets. You need to drink pots anyway before scribing or doing thief stuff.
And yes, Edwin is obviously the best of the bunch of the pure mages.

>>3659179
OP, there's no wrong way to play a game.

When I was a teen - and BG2 is still my favorite CRPG to date that I've beat fairly and legitimately since, including SCS, so don't be thinking I've "ruined" anything for myself - I used every cheese and cheat in the book to have the fun I wanted. I used the Ctrl+J teleport cheat and moved only my main character, I modded in a teleport spell (I was big on Diablo 2 at the time) that shot out a Beholder ray just like the one Irenicus uses, I stitched together a spell to cast every defensive spell similar to what the cowled wizards used just because I thought it was a cool "ability" I wanted to have as well, Irenicus' cutscene spells with no cast and instant disintegration, and so on. I tried to mod in the ability to turn into the vampire "mist" - with no drawbacks of daytime (naturally) - but I was too stupid to do so.

The point is, my stupid, young self got all the fun he wanted in his favorite power fantasy in computer format, and thinking back on that, I would not want to deprive myself of that experience. As long as you enjoy the game, the mechanics, and the story, just do whatever makes it fun.

>>3660250
Based
Fucking around with the ruleset is great, I actually have a hard time thinking of another RPG that has half the variety of cool effects and interactions this game has
Nearinfinity is just the icing on the cake

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>>3660255
>I actually have a hard time thinking of another RPG that has half the variety of cool effects and interactions this game has
Dawnsbury Days
Knights of the Chalice 1 and 2
Temple of Elemental Evil
Icewind Dale 2
DOS2
BG3
Deadfire

Honestly BG3 has like 600 abilities and they're almost all worth using. BG2 has like maybe 30 useful abilities and it's mostly buffs/debuffs. It's combat is kind of... bad.

>>3659537
I checked previous save and she had her stuff right before the fight with the wizards. She didn't die, equipment wasn't on the floor, so I guess theyvsomehow got destroyed/stolen? I did the fight again and didn't lose anything this time.

>>3660261
It's only bad if you rely on fighters. Casters, wizards especially, are arguably better than in any other game. There's no penalty for resting constantly, and they have so many options, that every fight becomes a puzzle solving adventure, even when ignoring all the broken combos. They get bad rep because most of the companions start as shitty builds. You get Nalia, and she's got four levels wasted on a thief. Because of this, she is a bit underpowered early on, and gets sidelined by noobs. Aerie is dual class, has low spell penetration for both of her classes because of low stats, and has a million spells, requiring plenty of micro. The thing is, one mage alone is a bit meh, even if he's fully speced out Edwin, three, four of them, even at shitty stats, and with levels wasted on thiefs, are Armageddon. No matter enemies dice rolls, eventually something will come through.

>>3660221
Nalia has some nice interactions with Imoen. I talked about a run earlier that was pretty comfy. >>3659255

>>3660280
>Casters, wizards especially, are arguably better than in any other game
No, I just explained why casters are bad compared to everything I listed and even gave you bg3 as an example. Like BG2'd magic is measurably worse and you've offered nothing to counter that, instead opting to dump a useless personal experience you were apparently constipated with. Bioware fans are downright cult-like.

throne of bhaal sucks ass

>>3660283
Nta, but i agree that bg3 has more fun wizardly interactions than bg1 and 2.

>>3660283
Why should I do anything, when it's you that's not familiar with the system in bg2. Bg3 is balanced. Wizard is 2nd fiddle to Paladin when it comes to power levels. It's hardly even better than a Cleric. It gets some extras and utilities, compared to other classes, but it's no substantially better or worse than them. In bg2 Wizard is on another level. Clearly Larian was aware of this, as they didn't transfer any of the most broken mechanics and combos. They went with equipment kits instead. Bioware simply dumped as many spells in the game as they could, and left player with a true sandbox experience. Nothing is self apparent, spells descriptions are there, but one really needs to test thing out to see how it works in real time environment, since many things aren't documented. Lower level spells have features that only come to life with high level spells. There are silly combos, and there are spells that are only useful for specific builds. Vast majority of this came straight out of people's ingenuity, and it was so influential, that tabletop devs went with it.

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1.88 MB GIF

>>3660306
vegeta, what the scouter say about this posts' incorrectness level

https://youtu.be/SiMHTK15Pik

BG2 and BG3 are based on two completely different versions of D&D so that's why the balance is totally different

>>3660306
>Lower level spells have features that only come to life with high level spells
such as?

>>3659314
How are they bad in BG2?

>>3660261
Did anybody ask for yet another vapid post name-dropping shit you don't know how to play to sperg out about bG2 having "bad combat" with zero arguments?
Fucking get a life, weeb troon

All fucking day long, every fucking day this fucking moron is spamming the same shit over and over on a dead fucking board
What the fuck seriously, no wonder this fucking place can never get any sort of discussion going
Goddamn

>>3659179
I love BG2, but there's also a strong nostalgia factor. I doubt I could get into a new game even if it was like it.
There's just something about old games, man, even if I didn't play them back then.

>>3660283
You are quite honestly the most deranged fucking prick I've ever seen on this shitty website

>>3660452
They can’t replace my thief because they can’t do traps and locks. I like them when they’re a skill monkey with a dash of party support and utility.

>>3659179
Just don't play it.

Bards are good even in basic, vanilla unmodded BG1. Though they are far from a necessary part of your party. They level up faster than mages, so all their spells hit harder and land at higher level. They can also shoot bows with a mediocre THAC0. They can't do traps, but can do pick pocket and lore, which are nice to have.
Obviously Blade is the only way to go modded or in BG2, where it is an absolutely great class. Jester song is strong, but a complete gimmick. Just cast the confusion spell instead.

>>3659179
>casters keep killing me
Cast breach
That's honestly the only challenge in the game, outside of dragons, but that's a whole other bag of faggotry

>>3660630
Shadow Dragon is easy, Black Dragon is easy, Firkraag is substantially harder. Silver Dragon is the hardest enemy in SoA, should you want to fight it. It always catches me off guard how good Firkraag's THAC0 is.

>>3660652
I haven't beaten Firkraag since 2001. I don't hate that they put in some tough challenges, but I've regrettably grown into a casual

how can bioware fans be so fucking retarded

>>3660662
Get a life

>>3660654
Its really just casting dispel a few times on him because he has a couple contigencies that auto cast stoneskin and shit. When he knocks back the party with his wings, he does chase, so you can heal and get ready again. Its all aboit wasting his spell slots because just like everything else in the game, they're pretty shit without protections.

>>3661194
>he does chase
*doesnt
Phone posting.

>>3660626
I'm trapped in the "what class do i devote 50 hours to"
I rolled godly stats for a Skald with single weapon specialization, but I'm having second thoughts about making a Blade instead.
Then again, I dislike being able to solo the game. I'd like to make use of every party member somehow. A fighter proficient in weapons would be the least frustrating, wouldn't it?

>>3659189
>I don't know how to play.
>I try solo'ing because
Ngmi

>>3661251
Any class can solo the game, I wouldn't think like that. The point is to have a party with all the tools so that you can bring handle each encounter without needing to do shit like run away or wait out spell protections. I bring party members who will generally contribute in most encounters, so I often run 4 people for most of BG1 and 5 for most of BG2.
Blade is a fun and great class, but it isn't a cheesy solo class like FMT.
Skald suffers from the fact that the knowledge that all bards get a slightly better version of their song as an HLA. If you're playing the entire saga though, having that great song the entire time matters and will be useful. The downside of Blade as a bard is that they only really get a song in ToB as an HLA.

>>3661370
>Any class can solo the game, I wouldn't think like that.
You're probably right. I meant in the sense that if I have other spellcasters in the party, they would feel less important if the MC has spells available. Or if they can stealth, I don't have much use for Yoshimo and others.
I really enjoy the feeling that every party member is absolutely necessary, and a boon. It helps with roleplaying.

Considering that, I think for me it's best to go with a fighter. Less micromanagement too (no need to buff for trash fights)

>>3660340
Anything that goes with Timestop, Contigency, Sequencer and Alacrity.

Having used her in a few games, I can't really decide if jaheira is a good character or not.
Tanks most fights amazingly, but hard hitters shred her low hp.
Druid spells are great, but you don't get many and almost everything you want is specifically level 5, which she gets no bonus to and the druid hits a low wall which prevents natural growth. You can use wondrous recall, but that's uses of Heal you're missing.
Scimitar user that fights with other characters for Belm.

>>3661412
She's good for killing wizards, and thats it. Avengers end up being the best druid kit because they always become backline party members by mid game.

>>3661432
If Ironskins was level 4 like stoneskin is, I feel like she'd be godlike. But you need insect plague for the early and midgame, and you also want chaotic commands (which she casts at really low level because druid has cucked level growth compared to cleric).

>>3661194
>>3661195
Been a few years since I played it, but that seems about right. I usually just go with the banana-peeling, forgetting he's a layered onion

>>3661434
Not sure if it changed in the EE, but Druids are also gimped by their max level in SoA. To this day, it still makes no sense to me and why they thought Druid needed to be capped so early.

>>3661436
Firkraag is maybe the 2nd or 3rd thing I decide to do after getting out of Irenicus' dungeon, and it's pretty comfy beating him if you're playing a Paladin. Kind of weird how the quest works, though, because you can break it if you kill Firkraag on your first encounter. You actually have to pussy out of dialogue with Firkraag, go back to the Paladins and tell them about it, get the quest to kill him, then go back and finish it... kind of tedious. The dialogue to start combat with him is ballsy and cool on that first encounter.

>>3661437
It does make sense, but not from a balance perspective. What is actually happening is that they are selectively and bizarrely applying the AD&D2e rules. According to the player's handbook (which is not forgotten realms, I should add), there can only be one high level druid past level 15. The grand druid of the world. They've semi applied this not even applicable rule as making druid be epic level at 15.

>>3661452
cool for RP, dumb implementation. the only thing that changes from 14 to 15 is you get a bunch of extra spell slots, up from 2 level 5 and 1 level 6 to 6 for each levels 1-6. it's insane powercreep that didn't have to be put in there.

>>3659189
>I can't even beat Firkraag without using Feeblemind or some other cheese
Lmao
>"I'm gonna fight this 3-storey tall dragon with the strength of 10 men that breathes fire, and I'm gonna fight it FAIRLY"
Feeblemind, Blind and all that other good stuff are just part of being an adventurer who doesn't fucking die

>>3661437
In EE you can reach ToB levels while still in SoA, so Druids do eventually get their spell slots and HLAs, it just takes most of the entire campaign to do it.
EE also lets you access Watcher's Keep from SoA though, which gives you a ton of experience if you go through that.

>>3661479
You just stack Fire resistance. The dungeon leading up to firkaag loads you with FR becauae bg2 is a retarded baby game. You don't need feeblemind. You just equip FR, cast breach then beat him to death. I have no idea why you're acting superior while giving stupid advice. I feel like everyone who thinks these games are good doesn't even know how to play them even though they are incredibly easy and dumb.

>>3661487
>FR becauae bg2 is a retarded baby game. You don't need feeblemind. You just equip FR
Do you really need to abbreviate fire resistance? How lazy.

>>3661492
>THAC0
>AC
>HP
Anon, pls.

>>3661487
>>3661492
fire resistance isn't really enough. like another anon pointed out, Firkraag aint no bitch in melee. having your weaksauce no hp supports getting nuked by his fireball is just one problem.

>>3661487
Because they are old and if you say you like them people will think you are smart and veteran about RPGs, basically its just pretentious shit, game is shallow and braindead easy, i agree with you, it also doesnt help that the gameplay aged like milk.

>>3661497
Forgotten Realms.

>>3661514
I'm so old that the IE games still feel like RTS inspired newshit.

>>3661534
Its mostly zoomers who think BG2 is good

>>3661540
Nah, Biotards are multigenerational.

>>3661514
>>3661534
Have you considered not posting?

>>3659179
stop playing COD, LOL, minecraft, Fortnite or any other zoomie shit.

>>3659211
not a whole lot of evil specific loot. The most powerful sword Carsomyr requires Paladin class to use.

>>3659179
don't try. learn a new skill insteaad. getting good at this game will not transfer to anything useful in your life.

>>3659442
Yoshimo is ok. I beat Firkaag with his traps all over the place.

>>3660285
false

>>3660261
BG3 is a different game, different system.

>>3659179
try dual classing human fighter berserker/cleric or Kensai/mage.

>>3661401
So I went with skald, and I'm fully into it. I think I got the powergaming shit out of my system. Turns out a jack of all trades/master of none is great if you want to promote party members into more important roles.

I'm enjoying the writing too. Minsc genuinely made me laugh with his
>I am no man, and you are no hamster
line, and characters have personality without trying too hard. Well, Minsc has a strong personality, but I find him entertaining. I think it's going to be hard to choose party members. So far they all seem fun to have around.

>>3661731
Based anon playing a game and having fun instead of crying about how everything sucks

I'm in chapter two, and from roleplaying perspective it would make sense to save my dear companion ASAP, but I'm wondering if there's ever going to be a sensible time for side-questing.

So without spoilers, should I do sidequests now in chapter two (sorta justified by needing coin) or is there time after getting her back with less urgency in the main quest?

>>3661995
The game assumes you are going to do all of the Atkathla sidequests (or vast majority of them) during acts 2-3. That's also how you get new companions. Act 2-3 are the most open. Afterwards, the game becomes pretty linear, and you only briefly return to city in Act 6.

>>3662004
All right, thank you. I'll spend my money on equipment, and go deliver those acorns from the first dungeon.
If I may ask another question without spoilers, is there a better club for Jaheira available for purchase, or will I be able to find one soon enough?

>>3661995
You can come back and do them later if you want.
Choices don't matter, so dont worry.

>>3662019
https://mikesrpgcenter.com/bgate2/weapons/clubs.html
Here's the site with all the weapons in the game and where to find them.
In short - you want some good druid gear, visit Tradesmeet.

>>3662019
>and go deliver those acorns from the first dungeon.
I would leave that quest for later, unless you already have a relatively strong party. Windspear Hills do not fuck around. I would suggest doing this quest last, before you set off to save Imoen.

>>3662053
>visit Tradesmeet.
Thanks. I'll go there afterwards
>>3662056
>Windspear Hills do not fuck around
I was able to deliver the acorns, and I'm inside the cave with hobgoblins currently. I'll look around and escape if I run into something too epic for my party to handle

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>>3662065
>I'll look around and escape if I run into something too epic for my party to handle
Oh, you will.

>>3662056
Windspear Hills is weird because the encounters around it are grap like goblins, war dogs, and orcs that would lead you to believe it is a low level dungeon. But inside are very nasty high level enemies.

>>3662132
>Windspear Hills is weird because the encounters around it are crap and monsters
This isn’t a nice thing to say about my paladin bros

>>3662132
Any dungeon that throws golems and werewolves in tandem can kindly fuck off.

>>3662078
It was too epic. Scouting Yoshimo got caught a off guard lol.
Almost got softlocked because I didn't have anti-mage spells for the wizard and couldn't rest to gain them. I'm glad I had a save before the encounter so I can give it another try.

>>3662156
Well, Windspear Hills do have some very good drops, including the best sword in the game for a paladin, the issue is that you have to survive Firkraag.

>>3662612
He just kinda told me to piss off, so I left. I explored the rest though, did the side quest, and found some great loot. I couldn't figure out that giant golem, but Yoshimo was able to stealth loot his cave as well. Afterwards I did the Umar Hills quest, and now I'm off to the Temple district sewers.

I also used a save editor to change my proficiencies. Never used a crossbow I picked at the start, so I changed it to a halberd. Now my skald should be able to reach enemies easier with Minsc inbetween.

>>3662628
>I couldn't figure out that giant golem
IIRC, that's an adamantine golem that in only vulnerable to +3 weapons and above. And it has 90% physical resistance because fuck you. The issue is that its model is so big, it can't go through tight corridors, and that allows you to just snipe it with a +3 ranged weapon. It would take forever, but it's a tactic.
Also, killing Firkraag lets you craft one of the best armors in the game, so killing him is very worth it, but you know... he's Firkraag.

>>3662642
Minsc did some damage to the golem with the giant slaying warhammer, but the golem has that poison cloud attack and I didn't figure out a way to deal with it. Now I of course carry scrolls of poison protection, if I ever encounter one of those fuckers again.

>>3662657
The adamantite golem is susceptible to weapons of +3 or greater enchantment. If you can use summons to tank it or trap it behind a doorway, that do that. Melf's Meteors can damage them. You can also lower its resistance to magic and spam nsgic missile. There's plenty of other things that you can do, too. Probably gonna have to cheese those.

>>3662915
*magic missile

>>3661487
People who put bg2 on a pedestal are fucking retarded. This has been proven time and time again.

>>3662928
Do these daily posts make your dilation sessions less painful?

>>3662983
Kek

>>3659179
One thing turn-based combat has over RTWP is the clarity. I dunno if it's a skill issue, but I've had a couple frustrating moments where I don't know what's going on, why things don't work, why characters don't obey orders, and with everything going on at once it can ruin the battle.

I just gave a few tries trying to cast remove curse on thralls. It worked once, but not on other times, and sometimes the character just refused to cast the spells, instead opting to just melee the target.. I know you can't target enemies with certain spells active.

More clearer feedback from the game would be nice, so that even a simpleton can keep up. Seems crucial for RTWP combat.

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I'm gonna play this again for the first time in like 7-8 years. What mods do I need? I recall using gibberlings tweaks and fixes. Any other essential mods? Just for a comfy playthrough.

>>3663533
>I recall using gibberlings tweaks and fixes. Any other essential mods?
That's it. Aside from the widescreen patch.

>>3663533
Improved anvil

>>3663533
De'Arnise Romance.
Ascension.
Don't judge me.

>>3663533
You don't even need that. Unfinished Business is mandatory, though. SCS is not exactly comfy. Improved Anvil might be kinda fun.

>>3663476
Skill and knowledge issue. Do you have AI turned on? I would turn it off. Your units are going to contradict your orders if they're running a script. Gotta read the descriptions on everything so you know what can do what. Once you understand what can happen, there's no problem.

>>3664378
>SCS is not exactly comfy. Improved Anvil might be kinda fun
kek are you out of your fucking mind lmao

>>3664378
>>3664418
I mean lad, I've posted IA to take the piss out of him, but IA is legit one of the most unfun, pain-in-the-ass "you will reload every fight six times and then give up" videogame experiences ever designed.
SCS insane is comfy by comparison and I 100% mean that
Actually, SCS insane is indeed comfy when you know what you're doing, and SCS itself is a fun and well designed mod with meaningful difficulty levels for beginners, intermediate and good players. IA is designed by a self-admitted infinity engine masochist for people like him. Your post is basically "yeah brah, go for tactics improved illych going into BG2 blind, have fun"

>>3659179
Bros.. I'm having such a great time with this game, I had to come tell you. I'm in Spellhold, and I just realize how fortunate I am that I haven't seen spoilers for the story. I'm really enjoying it, and I'm glad I stuck with the skald character. Feels like a proper adventure.

Also, I offer advice for anyone else playing for the first time: don't do all sidequests on one character. I did a few, but now I've decided to leave some for when I replay the game with other characters. There's a couple of classes I want to try later.

>>3664418
>>3664422
Anything to actually justify the use of a full, custom created party of six purposefully made units of destruction is comfy as shit. Strolling through that walk in the park with your little solo, intentionally weak unit is not great. The options that SCS presents to you are also not very comfy either. You only think it is because you put in the work to understand what changes were made. You only need to know one thing with Improved Anvil: it's gonna be ridiculous, so strap in and be ready for anything. Plus, he's not going in blind. He played already.

>>3665066
Nice, anon. Good to hear it's going well for you. That is excellent advice.

>>3665080
>That is excellent advice.
Yeah, it's plain advice that goes for many games, but I'd say BG2 is almost designed to be replayed. Plenty of class options, that start at higher level so you get to experience them right from the start, and the world is open for the start with plenty of quests, choices, and possible party members. Story pacing and game difficulty flows better if you don't blow your load all over.
Really, it would be a shame not to savor this game throughout multiple playthroughs, experiencing something new each time.

>>3665066
This is not a very authentic sounding post, ngl

>>3665224
>someone having fun playing a game instead of bitching and criticizing and critiquing now sounds inauthentic to /vrpg/ anons
A sad state of affairs

>>3665233
It just sounds like it's the polish retard again

>>3665233
Critiquing is fun though. An unexamined life is not worth living.

>>3665224
I'm enjoying a game, a lot, and wanted to share. There's no reason to fake that.

>>3665249
Don't play Throne of Bhaal. Quit on a high note.

>>3665249
>BROS I CAN ONLY REACT TO BASIC STIMULI LIKE AN AMOEBA SO I HAVE NOTHING INTERESTING TO SAY BUT THIS GAME IM PLAYING FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME FOR THE TENTH TIME THIS YEAR IS REALLY ACTIVATING MY ENTIRE 3 NEURONS

>>3665259
Hmm you seem bothered by it

>>3665254
Nah, ToB is very short, so you might as well blaze through it, if only so see how the story ends and get a good ending for your waifu.

>>3665633
ToB is worth playing once
It’s just not worth replaying

>>3659179
I soloed the beholder lair with minsc. Seems like solo is actually the easy mode.

>>3665702
Minsc is almost done stealthing through the mindflayer mission. Playing this way is genuinely fun.

Makes me want to do a duo playthrough with MC + Aerie. I could powergame it with F/M/T or F/T, but a swashbuckler would be more fitting. Ranger too, but locks and traps would be an unpleasant hassle.
Detect illusion thief skill is something I covet. Would make mages faster to handle, I think.

>>3665763
>but locks and traps would be an unpleasant hassle
Solo’d the trilogy as a cavalier once. Bashed every chest and took every trap to the face. I think the only thing I couldn’t bash was one chest in Durlags, in Kiels room, no matter how high I boosted str

>>3665702
>Seems like solo is actually the easy mode.
It is.

>>3665769
I never thought of bashing locks.. is there a way to neutralize traps besides using thief skills?
>>3665867
And it can be fun, although Minsc's stealth mission turned into a catastrophy and required a 4 man swat rescue mission.. (I didn't bother reloading, instead went with the flow. It took some planning)
I also like having a party around. It's comfy having useful companions.

>>3665633
>good ending for your waifu
But Edwina gets shafted. ToB epilogues are the worst.

>>3665899
>I never thought of bashing locks.. is there a way to neutralize traps besides using thief skills?
Use protection spells when opening a trapped container or walking across a trap on the ground. Mirror image is excellent for the single target traps. I forget exactly which spells are optimal for protection against all traps, but you get the gist. I believe you can also use summoned creatures to trigger floor traps as well. Monks are particularly good at soaking up traps because of their immunities and saving throws. That extends to Barbarians and Berserkers during rage, too.

>>3665899
>I never thought of bashing locks.. is there a way to neutralize traps besides using thief skills?
Yep, it’s a strength roll with a bit of randomness. There’s no risk of breaking the contents, but you don’t gain xp obviously.
Traps I don’t think so. There’s spells to see them but not disarm them. You just gotta eat the damage.

>>3665702
Yes, fewer units are much easier to control well and the power spikes you get from concentrated experience/items can be quite large. There are some decent hotkeys laid out in the options menu for controlling a full squad, but they are largely unrefined. These types of games would benefit greatly from a QoL overhaul aimed at reducing the level of micromanagement required to control units well without curtailing higher levels of play. There is a big difference between creating scripts that just control your units (AI) and creating shortcuts/commands/macros for the player to pull of more advanced tactics and strategies with fewer mouse clicks. This all requires quite a bit of discernment, though.

>>3665763
I am also a fan of running stealth units in this game. Back in the day, solo thief was probably the most popular solo class simply because hit and run tactics were so much fun and thief skills are so helpful. It wasn't really until EE that fighter/mage duals became the undisputed most popular unit for solos and this is simply because Beamdog outright changed the way stealth works by adding the cooldown on stealth in order to "balance" their shadowdancer kit. For your next play through, make sure you install Unfinished Business. It restores several components that buff stealth. Notably, two ranger classes and a sword that grants Non-Detection.

>>3665899
If you encounter a lock that you are having trouble bashing, increasing your strength can help. 25 strength will bash every lock that doesn't require a plot-related key or something.

>>3665899
>And it can be fun
If you don't really want to play an rpg, sure

>>3665971
Minor globe of invulnerability + stone skin/mirror is decent for opening traps, with nullify all physical damage and 99% of the elemental traps since they trigger fireballs or lightning bolts most of the time. The traps that aren't covered by this combination will likely not be lethal (cloud kill, dispel or level drain)
>>3665080
Nah SCS is comfy because it's good, interesting challenges with solutions that will be useful throughout the whole game as you learn to play it, good enemy AI abetting by the same rules as your party, flexibility of install and completable with every non-meme party on insane allowing for different playstyles.
IA, with its dumb kits and one-answer puzzles, is the antithesis of comfy, you're basically railroaded into using the author's favorite party, complete with his special snowflake custom kits and there isn't much as far as interesting fights are concerned. Either you do it the way the author intended, or you abuse the doors he left open in his quest to suck up all the fun from the combat system

>>3665699
If you install a few mods it becomes pretty decent
Ascension is mandatory and really good, Wheels of Prophecy is decent and adds a couple cool options that reduce railroading a bit, Crucible is awesome and what ToB should have been like
Overall, only the road to and from the fire temple and abazigal's lair are really tedious, the rest of ToB is pretty good and the last fight with Ascension is one of the best final battles in any rpg ever

>>3665259
Sometimes there are posts l that make me stop and wonder "what the fuck is wrong with this fucking tranny nigger holy shit"

>>3666318
Are all three of them compatible with one another? I remember Ascscension being VERY finnicky.
Also, apparently Crucible tries to tie ToB to Murder in Baldur's Gate and BG3? In that case it can fuck right off.

>>3666339
Yeah they are. Ascension was entirely recoded by the SCS mod author a few years back, no more bugs, smooth install. https://www.gibberlings3.net/mods/quests/ascension/
Wheels is to be added after.
I haven't played BG3 and I never will, but Crucible is a straightforward quest/dungeon where you get through the Abyss on your way to the final ToB fight. Where did you get that info? I'm pretty sure it's complete bullshit, I have seen zero reference to that.

>>3666349
Thanks for the info. I'll give them a go. Are there any other "big quest" mods that are worth recommending, especially for BG1?
>Where did you get that info?
I've read in one review that fucking Viekang shows up for no other reason other than tease Murder in Baldur's Gate. Although, the reviewer could've been full of shit, I dunno.

>>3665702
I actually solo'd both the mindflayer lair and the beholder lair with Mazzy. Turns out high DEX + heavy armor + innate haste + shortsword +2 with bonus attack is a killing combo for a critter with low attack rolls, like mindflayers.
Hear the womanlet roar.

>>3666354
"I am no man!" *stabs beast in the face*

>>3666356
>*stabs beast in the face*
*ankle*

>>3666351
Nah I think the guy on smolderingsmodsbar just wanted to write a paragraph about how much he dislikes the book, it has nothing to do with it at all (beyond the fact that the character is here). You can kill him too.
Call of the lost goddess for BG2 is fucking great, very high production value and 6-8 hours playtime, good storyline adapted from a D&D book. Loretakers for BG1 by the same guys is really good too, great art in both cases.
In general, Lava's mods are hailed as the best big quest mods, I'm not big on every single one of them, but the art is always good and he made plenty. These latest ones I mentioned with other modders are his best work though imo.

>>3666362
I think the only Lava's mod I ever played was Eiliatraee's Song. It's fucking ancient, but I love Eilistraee so I was satsfied anyway.
I guess I'll give Loretakers and Shades of the Sword Coast a go. One thing I really am worried about is the compatibility. But I guess unlike with TES, IE modders are usually good enough to ensure their mods don't chew on one another. Unless the player is a total idiot and I dunno installs two Nalia mods at once.

>>3666364
the IE itself is prety great for dealing with compatibility since weidu doesn't overwrite full files but adds to them. That's why you spend 30 minutes staring at your SCS install running, but never run into a CTD because two mods touched the same file.
Anyway, on additional content there's almost never any incompatiblity problems since it's brand new files for the most part.
Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever encoutnered a single incompatiblity in my modlist. As long as you read the readmes you're fine

>>3666370
The only incompatibility I ever had was with Ascension, way back when. But I was stupid little shit and installed it out of order, so the dialogue files got rewritten. And this turned entirety of ToB into gibberish.

>>3666371
>The only incompatibility I ever had was with Ascension, way back when. But I was stupid little shit and installed it out of order, so the dialogue files got rewritten. And this turned entirety of ToB into gibberish.

When you roleplay <9 intelligence irl.

>>3666371
AKSHUALLY the dialog file is generated on each playthrough start and saved in your save folder rather than in the gamefiles, generally if you get random lines where they don't belong it's because you load a savefile made with a different modlist (and starting a new playthrough solves the issue)

That Ravenloft questmod looks kino. I might give it a go.

>>3666385
It's pretty good shit but completely out of place and the voice-acting is so fucking bad, I'd advise you to literally remove the audio files before installing the mod, everything else is nice

>>3665994
>would benefit greatly from a QoL
True. Improving pathfinding would go a long way. I'm constantly having problems with party breaking formation, taking detours, or just blocking their companions.

It takes some patience, but on the other hand, the necessity of micromanaging proves that positioning/surroundings is another important layer of the combat. So let's imagine a remaster removing all the tediousness: it might end up feeling dumbed down. Convenience could lead to less consideration. Gotta be careful about sanding down rough edges.

>>3659202
Worth playing just to kill Gromnir, but I was on team Karzak during the old Black Isle forum days.

>>3659179
Black dragon absolutely destroys my party in seconds. How in the world am I supposed to even figure out how to deal with this.
I'm a bit annoyed. A difficulty spike roadblock. And I was enjoying the story events unfolding too.

>>3666672
Ask reddit

>>3666683
Nah. I gave it a couple more tries to see what he does. After a break and sorting out spells and equipment I'll give it another go.

>>3666672
>>3666686
Party composition? Give us some context.

>>3666672
Few hours spent on near hopeless trying, and turns out it was easily resolved by something I had in my backpack. Feels cheap, but I probably didn't have a chance in a fair fight anyway. Even tried the slayer form for a first time.
>>3666728
Skald main character, Minsc, Jaheira, Aerie and Imoen.

Seriously, was it a difficulty spike for others? Previous bosses were nothing close to that. My retro PC lagging didn't help lol

>>3666738
So did you beat it, then? You don't have much power in your frontline, so I can understand how a dragon would be difficult, although dragon fights are mostly about positioning. Prot from Acid is pretty important. Those green scrolls are very good. Use summons to distract the dragon while your warriors flank, using hit and run tactics. The one time per day summon items really shine here. Always hasted (keep speed pots on hand in case of dispel) and never close together. Sometimes killing a dragon can be as simple as casting Chromatic Orb, or any other save or die spell. It helps to strip protections and lower magic resistance (and saves too), but sometimes an odd spell will make it through and kill the dragon despite its MR and saves. Minor spell sequencers can be loaded with either magic missile or chrom orb for easy damage. The list of strategies goes on, but positioning is probably the most important.

>>3666757
>So did you beat it, then?
It's dead, but just in a bit cheap way. I would have liked to have a more glorious battle, but my party kept dying so quickly that I didn't have the patience for more trial and error.

Maybe I'll have to play a mage next time, and fight it more properly. Get familiar with spells, and try summons out. I'll have to keep your advice in mind. Protection from acid could have been nice.

>>3666757
How desperate for attention and stupid do you have to be to feed this person? You are the reason this place is terrible now.

>>3666770
I'm glad this makes you seethe so much.

>>3666785
It's not even good advice. Youre telling him to do the wrong things. Like you didn't even come close to telling him how the encounter works. Jesus lol

>>3666790
Different anon, you dipshit.

>>3666790
This is what /vrpg/ is now. It's just dumb assholes pushing themselves deeper and deeper into total ignorance. This is the hugboxes the shitposters and spammers wanted.

All right, BG2 is finished. What an amazing game. Deserves all the praise it has received over the years.
I will play more of it right away, once I've decided if I should install Throne of Baal and continue, or install BG1 and play through them all with a new character.

Starting from BG1 would also mean making a decision on what character to roll. A tough choice between a cleric, thief and a mage. Maybe dual class eventually. Could even go with a bard again.

10/10, a new favorite game.

>>3666870
You might as well go through ToB to finish up BG2. It's very short and to the point. Although it does have some nasty difficulty spikes, like Draconis.
Yeah, dragons were bad already, so how about a dragon spellcaster?

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>>3666870
>What an amazing game
>Deserves all the praise it has received
>10/10, a new favorite game.
lol, lmao even

>>3667149
That's how everyone imagines your dumb fucking face everytime they have to read your dumb fucking shit

>>3667146
I came to the same conclusion. I'm curious how the story continues.
But, I installed ToB from an old retail disc, and it crashes when starting. I gotta get a digital copy, it seems.

We'll see if I can beat ToB. I made it through the final boss on my first attempt, but just barely. Had two party members going at one point.

I know that ToB has HLAs, meaning my bard can get traps or use any items, so I'm looking forward to that.

>>3667246
ToB is off to a good start: the story is interesting, I got a new party member, and Aerie resumed the romance.
It's nice getting some party banter. Seems like it stopped completely around the time I went to spellhold, so it's been quiet for some time.

Is it normal that I don't have the penalties and bonuses from BG2's finale anymore? Like the -1 to dexterity

>>3667246
>I installed ToB from an old retail disc, and it crashes when starting.
Mismatch with your version/patch of bg2 perhaps?

>>3666790
How does the encounter work exactly?

>>3667451
Hard to say. I assembled an old PC from the 2000s with old parts, so it could also be the CDs, hardware (perhaps the disk drive), or mismatched patches like you said. All 5 CDs came together.
Seems like the installation was simply incomplete/faulty for both BG2 and ToB. Now I have a digital copy with the fixpack installed and it's working great.

>>3667441
Aerie's romance is hands down the shortest one in the game. A casualty of cut content. On the other hand, Viconia's or Jaheira's romances are so lengthy, you'll be begging for them to finally shut up, because you want to finish the game.

>>3667844
Aerie romance length would've probably been fine if I didn't do so many sidequests in chapter 2. I really think it would be best to reserve one sidequest per character. As in, roll a druid, do the druid themed quest, maybe a character sidequest, then move towards the main quest if you like playing that character.

But holy shit is there a lot of content in this game. To be honest I was overwhelmed on my first playthrough. Everywhere I went there was something going on. And since I didn't know how much is involved in getting that companion back, it didn't seem right to postpone the main quest.
Now that I know, I'm able to sort of plan the flow of the game.

Btw I haven't met Viconia, but I'm planning a new playthrough with a new party, that thief gnome being one. Maybe I'll get Viconia too.

Anyone got thoughts on Stalker/Assassin classes? I'm thinking there might be some fun to be had with an assassin and thief working together.

>>3659179
you play a better game that uses a turn based system like the source material (dnd) intended

>>3667944
Assassin is pretty great, especially since you can delete annoying enemies (mages for instance) before the battle even starts, because that x7 backstab multiplier is a surefire one hit kill. Thief class in general is very fun to play, but requires some gameplay knowhow. The only issue is that it make Yoshimo redundant.

>>3667944
>Btw I haven't met Viconia
She’s a bit tied up when you meet her

>>3659189
>play party based RPG as a solo character
>can't defeat bosses meant to challenge a full party
>gets bored on his solo run of a party based RPG without the contend, interactions and engagement party members bring in a party based RPG.
OP, you are doing it wrong. If you want to solo this game you need to do it as a class that can do everything a bit. So, play monk. They can fight. They have a couple spells. They can stealth. They can even heal.

>>3668042
>So, play monk.
8/10 bait
Also you missed OP's redemption arc in the rest of the thread. This is literally the first one of these "I can't play [old game], help me" threads that I've seen where OP actually stuck around and engaged with the thread and played the game. I was genuinely surprised.

>>3667951
>The only issue is that it make Yoshimo redundant.
I'm going to replace him with the gnome, and I was thinking of getting stealth and traps for the MC, and leaving the other thief responsibilities to him.

I wonder if I can play BG1 as an elf ranger, import him to BG2, and make a choice between assassin or stalker kit?
>>3667995
Is that a clue that I have to seek a place with.. ropes.. for tying up people.. hmm

>>3668050
Viconia and Jan are both in the Temple District.

>>3668050
>I wonder if I can play BG1 as an elf ranger, import him to BG2, and make a choice between assassin or stalker kit?
Yes, you can, unless you are playing BGEE, then you can just pick kits from the start. Also assassin is a thief kit, not a ranger kit.

>>3668052
Government District.
Also, how can one miss Viconia? She's right in front of you, unless you never enter the Government District.

>>3668088
I'm playing the originals. I figured playing through BG1 with a ranger will give me time to make a decision between stalker and assassin. Or I could do the BG2 starter dungeon as an assassin and see if the gameplay proves to be fun.
>>3668091
I think Anomen's quest took me to the government briefly. I purposely tried to avoid distractions from my main goal then. I also missed Aerie on my first time playing

>>3668091
>Government District.
Whoops. You’re right

>>3668099
>I also missed Aerie on my first time playing
Based anon wasn’t deceived by the ogres tricks

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>>3662156
> I didn't have anti-mage spells for the wizard and couldn't rest to gain them.

Imagine this was the wizard.

>>3668124
>Please Aerie, I prefer your other form

>>3668099
>decision between stalker and assassin
Oh nevermind, stalker only does 1 or 2x stealth damage most of the game

>>3668171
If you're playing EE you can use a console command I think to enable SoD items in BG2 and one of them increases stalker damage. Making some classes less useless through itemization is one of the things SoD did it right and you don't even have to play it

>>3659179
>magic golem immune to magic weapons
>I have no normal weapons
>check the bags of holding
>grab gauntlets of crushing and attack with fists
>it works except
>magic golem unconscious
>shit what else
>Horn of Blasting
>Magic Golem - Death

The difficulty ramps up in ToB, huh. Seems like every encounter became a setpiece challenge requiring the routine of buffing and resting afterwards. SoA flow was more mellow. Kinda drags on, and I found myself avoiding or cheesing enemies already to save me the hassle.

>>3667951
>The only issue is that it make Yoshimo redundant.
Definitely not. Those ranged AoE traps are incredible and his regular traps and backstabs are just as good.

>>3668719
Yep, ToB is worth playing only once and has nearly zero replayability.
If you like dungeon crawling make sure you do Watchers Keep at some point

>>3668171
>Oh nevermind, stalker only does 1 or 2x stealth damage most of the game
Fighter strength with fighter THACO and proficiencies overcomes this issue quite well. Trust me, on paper it may look bad, but it practice it is negligible. With a Stalker you can come out swinging with full fighter APR so if you don't get the kill on the first attack, then you will shortly after and then you can keep going whereas a thief has to run away. The strongest backstab weapon in BG2 is a staff. It is strong enough that a 2x multiplier is more than enough to put pretty much anything that can be backstabbed down in one hit. Furthermore, since a Stalker is a warrior they can drink the strength potions. I love running stealth squads and Stalkers & Thieves complement each other very well.

>>3668577
>I have no normal weapons
I always keep a set of normal weapons on hand specifically for situations like this. They are also helpful for mages who cast Protection from Magical Weapons. A couple warriors can burn through stoneskins very quickly.

>>3668171
>Oh nevermind, stalker only does 1 or 2x stealth damage most of the game
Stalkers are OP in BG1. Their stealth is the best out of every class. At level 1 they can stealth almost every single time in shade. Give them a few more levels and they won't ever fail, a few more and you'll be able to start stealthing in daylight. The 2x backstab is more than enough. Simply running a Stalker kit itself in BG1 breaks the difficulty. Trust me. BG1 is full of wilderness areas. You will want a scout that can search these areas without trouble and even solo some groups of enemies by themselves. Personally, I would say that Stalkers are the ideal unit for BG1 because they come out of char gen with 2 APR, fighter THACO, fighter HP, can use a bow and fully functional stealth mechanics. Nobody can do what a Stalker can do at level 1, yet they carry that with them all the way up to ToB.

>>3668780
>Simply running a Stalker kit itself in BG1 breaks the difficulty.
Yeah, that’s why bg1 didn’t have any kits

>>3668768
The story and companions are interesting and entertaining, I'm just a bit burned out on the combat at the moment. I'll try to make it quick and leave the sidequests for another playthrough with a more optimized party snd equipment.
>>3668774
>>3668780
You guys make good points, and I'm thinking of settling with a ranger. I've been using Minsc + Imoen for scouting and it works great. Detect traps spell makes the gameplay pleasant.

Assassin interests for roleplay purposes, on the gameplay side of things I'm not sure I have the patience.. at the very least their thac0 would need some work.

>>3668850
Truthfully, all the Stalker talk is just from one anon, me.

>Assassin interests for roleplay purposes, on the gameplay side of things I'm not sure I have the patience.. at the very least their thac0 would need some work.
I do like assassins quite a bit as well. Their roleplay schtick is very fun. They are admittedly a bit more niche simply because their skill points are tied up in stealth for quite awhile, but they do get the +1 to hit and damage and it helps. A half-orc assassin will help combat quite a bit, but it's not that big of deal. Their poison is often underrated and underutilized by newer players. While the EE's nerfed their poison (to "balance" their new blackguard kit), it is still extremely effective and has unique synergy with different mechanics. First off, it does a ton of damage and it interrupts spellcasters. There is an on-hit poison damage component as well as a no-save application of "poison", which causes damage over time. I believe the on-hit poison damage will apply through Stoneskin. Secondly, most enemies are not immune to poison, so it is a very good way to kill some monsters that would otherwise be incredibly difficult to put down (looking at you, Adamantite Golem). Thirdly, during its activation period any attack coming from that unit will apply the poison. So you can give your Assassin a bow and they become quite a good DoT spreader. Give them an Arrow of Detonation and the AoE will spread the poison. Melf's Minute Meteors and Druid Fireseeds also apply the poison. I forget exactly what else will, but it's enough of a deal it can neutralize many encounters for you. Regarding thief skills, Potions of Mind Focusing are an excellent way to improve thief skills because they last for 8 hours and they stack, but this is a bit more relevant in BG2 rather than BG1. You can take any of the dual or multi thieves in BG2 and turn them into professional thieves with a couple pots a day and maintain that through your entire playthrough.

>>3668898
>Their roleplay schtick is very fun
what in the fuck are you talking about, jesus christ man

>>3668850
>I'm just a bit burned out on the combat at the moment.
I understand. You are running the Skald, Minsc, Jaheira & Aerie party, yes? ToB is much easier with a warrior heavy party. When I say warrior I mean pure fighter, paladin or ranger. Bonus points for berserker, barbarian and inquisitor. Utility classes excel in BG1 & 2, but in ToB you really want to be able to just hack everything to bits. All the resistances and immunities put so many classes in an awkward position so they have to beat around the bush and micromanagement skyrockets, whereas warriors decked out in good gear can just run things down and kill-kill-kill with little micro. Once the HLAs stack up, they become unconditionally potent. They still need some support, so a cleric/mage like Aerie and a Skald really shine behind a good group of bruisers. Aerie can chain the mage and the cleric spells together with sequencers and contingencies. In my humble opinion, C/M is hands down the best support class in ToB. Spells like Minor Spell Sequencer is excellent in the hands of a C/M because they can apply the 2nd level mage spell Resist Fear with something like Bless and it will instantly cure your party whilst also applying a buff in case a fear bomb goes off. They can also turn Remove Paralysis (a vital, usually overlooked curing spell, Hold is a character killer and is not easily cured) into an instant cast that can be combined with several other spells for an all-in-one AoE party cure in case shit hits the fan (which it will). I cannot stress enough how important it is to be able to keep these instant cast cure bombs on hand when you are constantly fighting demons. Contingency also offers some unique ways to drop cleric buffs on your party hands free at the start of a fight. Also, I believe the initial cast to set up the sequencers and contingencies is cast under improved alacrity, that is they ignore the limit of one spell cast per round. Perhaps some food for thought.

>>3668951
>You are running the Skald, Minsc, Jaheira & Aerie party, yes?
Yep, now with the (rather intriguing) fighter companion offered by ToB. Not the most enduring party, but it's been varied and fun. It's been easy to manage in SoA; spell use outside of mage slaying has been fairly situational, so I haven't tried sequencers yet.
That a sign of a well designed game, for me.
>something like Bless
Yes, that at least I should set up. Good advice.

Btw I had one of those fun moments, where I decided to use Minsc's detect evil spell after I became suspicious of enemy activity, and noticed that the spell pointed towards a few harmless animals around me. Ambush avoided.

>>3659179
The problem with samefagging is when you post factually wrong information and masturbate yourself, like melee being preferable in ToB, in the same exact posting style no less, it becomes extremely obvious what you're doing.

>>3669010
What kind of brainless noob thinks ranged weapons are better in tob

God damn I was relieved when a miniboss surprised me by offering to 1vs1. A welcome change of pace after fighting constant hordes of enemies. Dungeon's final boss was great too, both her character and battle. The best part of the expansion so far.
Now there's one or two villains left as far as I know, and I'll see if I can get them done tomorrow.

>>3669010
>it becomes extremely obvious what you're doing.
Please explain to us exactly what it is you think I am "doing". It would delight me beyond measure to hear of this nefarious scheme I am designing.

>>3659189
>I try solo'ing because I don't have the patience to manage a party of +4 people
This is my problem with these types of games. As soon as I get more than one character I'm already not interested in playing anymore due to the required micromanagement. It turns into real-time strategy. I don't enjoy babysitting multiple so-called "individuals" aka puppets that turn into idiots the moment you're in charge. I want to play my character and let the AI do the rest. I have more tolerance for turn-based games than this chaotic mess where you constantly have to pause, click through units, issue commands, and repeat this cycle. The only game that did RTWP it correctly was Final Fantasy XII.

>>3669028
Don’t feed the schizos with (you)s

>>3669095
>required micromanagement
>I don't enjoy babysitting
It's not really needed. You can set them up to work as a one most of the time, and it's very effective.
Noobs get overwhelmed and think they need to finesse every action, and end up making things worse for themselves.

>>3669196
I saw Josh Sawyer play Darklands and he paused every 2 seconds. I found that really off-putting.

>>3669201
Depends on the difficulty, party composition, and the player. If you're an experienced player on hard difficulties, those pauses come naturally.

You don't have to play that way.

>>3659179
Fucking dragons, man.
I spent an hour or two on it. On my latest try, after I had spent my attempts at weakening it for death spells and half the party were dead, I cast tenser's transformation on the skald some minor spell with aerie for a desperate final stand, and the dragon died. It suddenly took massive damage from somewhere. After 10 seconds of silence I remembered the traps I put down before the battle, but I had thought they sprung earlier in the fight.
But I'm just gonna come out and say it: these dragon fights aren't my favorite. Feels powergamey and takes me out of the experience. Other boss battles have been good: can afford to react, adapt, and roll with the punches.

>>3669264
I'm at the end of ToB, but companion stories haven't played out yet. Apparently it takes real time for them to proceed. I might have to go spend time in watcher's keep. Maybe find better equipment for the final boss.

>>3669542
Watcher's Keep is great. I'm surprised you didn't go there first.

>>3669219
I prefer RTwP because it is much faster than Larians unbearably slow turn based style

>>3669542
Oh, if you though bosses in the main ToB story are bullshit, wait till you see what Watcher's Keep has in store.
Also for me Durlag's Tower>Watcher's Keep. Fight me.

>>3669776
I really want to do a replay, so I'm saving content for that. After I've seen the story through with my current companions, I'm starting from BG1
>>3669777
Rtwp isn't rigid, so the flow is pretty much in the player's hands. I also find it satisfying when you turn the tides of battle in your favor, and can let your party finish the rest by themselves.
>>3669818
Yeah.. I finally had enough with the later monk boss, and turned down the difficulty. I think I should've done that at the start of ToB, it would have been a better experience.

>>3669838
>After I've seen the story through with my current companions, I'm starting from BG1
Just a heads up - the companions in BG1 barely have any content whatsoever, which may be a bit offputting if you are coming from BG2. If you wish to bring them closer to how they are in BG2, I'd suggest installing the NPCProject mod.
Up to you.

>>3669873
>the companions in BG1 barely have any content whatsoever
The good ol' days, before bad companion dialogue and romances...

>>3669882
Only the most miserable tryhard retards can find no likeable companions in BG2

>>3669892
I have actual friends and I don't like most TV shows. Shocking, isn't it?

>>3669897
Thanks for the blog, but what's your point?

>>3669923
That your theory doesn't bear out. Bit slow, huh?

>>3669924
Why would talking to people on a seli-regular basis and not liking tv somehow invalidate the claim that you're a miserable tryhard retard?

>>3669925
Because that explains why I don't value companion dialogue in RPGs. Try to keep up, idjit.

>>3669928
No it doesn't lmao
The fuck kind of moron are you

>>3669929
Yes, yes it does.
Other people aren't you and you don't understand other people.

>>3669930
you can start making sense any minute you want lmao
Are you on drugs son?

>>3669931
Companion dialogue is written like TV show dialogue, BG2 is particularly Buffyesque and I'm not lonely enough to project into the game and feel a connection to companions and their trite dramas. Hence, I don't value NPC companions and prefer full party creation. Sorry, I was giving you more credit to catch on since you claimed to be smarter than me, guess that was just you putting on a tyrhard act.

>>3669934
>is written like TV show dialogue, BG2 is particularly Buffyesque a
Drugs it is
Lad, this shit makes no sense whatsoever
You're a miserable tryhard retard lmao

>>3669935
If you say so, m8. Sorry I criticised your NPC friends.

>>3669936
What was it you said 3 minutes ago about not understanding other people lmao
You're a beautiful idiot

>>3669937
You seem to repeat yourself a lot while not saying much. Like a BG2 NPC companion.

>>3669938
Brother, the only thing I managed to get out of you is that BG2 companions are bad because they're buffyesque televised repetitive friend simulators
Which is not only so fucking tryhard retarded it makes my head hurt, but also factually, demonstrably false
Now you've had your fun, you can piss off and spend the rest of your day reading 17th century literature with your many friends I'm sure lmao

>>3669939
>tryhard retarded
I don't even know what this means.
>demonstrably
Please.

You don't seem to have any real point beyond being upset that someone doesn't like BG2 NPC companions.

>>3669942
I really don't give a fuck what you like or don't, I'm quite literally just here to make fun of your stupid arrogant posturing
If you had sort of decent argument I would take you seriously but you're just here to prance around and get a reaction

>>3669944
If you think I'm looking for a reaction, stop reacting. I'm here simply to opine, so there's no argument to be had. What I'm actually doing is mocking your childish reaction to my opinion and laughing at the intellectual insecurity you continually display.

>>3669949
You're mocking fuck all lmao
This braindead conversation is all about you trying to explain what you mean and you continuously fail while saying hilariously dumb shit
Now you're pretending it was akshually 4d chess all along kek
Anyway, back to the roof of the problem, you don't actually dislike BG2 companions, at worst you don't give a shit. If you did dislike them, you could explain why in a way that makes sense. Instead, all you do is trying to look like a purist of whatever it is you think you're a purist of, and waste everybody's time by trying to avoid looking like the complete idiot you are.

>>3669951
Why would I have a serious conversation with someone calling me a miserable tryhard retard for not liking NPC companions? That's just a laughable reaction and I assume you're doing a bit and react accordingly.

>>3669956
And yet everything you've said after that has reinforced that assessment, nigger
All you've said since to try and justify your now non-existent point, and everything else really because you didn't really try after realizing you couldn't, has been retarded, exaggerated (try hard) and miserable
You can fuck off now

>>3669957
>everything you've said after that has reinforced that assessment
Every heard the expression "to a hammer everything looks like a nail"?
>and everything else really because you didn't really try after realizing you couldn't
lmao
>You can fuck off now
C'mon, we both know you won't stop replying. You're lonely.

>>3669958
Nah I'm done, you've got nothing left in the tank

>>3669959
Aw, I'm sorry I made you miserable, just can't be bothered to try very hard, dear retard.

>>3669961
Get your last post in

>>3669962
Full party creation über alles. Death to dev OCs!

>>3669873
I'm playing first time, so I'm going vanilla. I'm fine with it though, I think my current party combination isn't the most talkative either. Jaheira hasn't been much of a character ever since Aerie romance started, and Imoen has been of minor interest. Aerie + Minsc + ToB companion has been fun. Minsc going berserk whenever Aerie dies is a fun way to add character through gameplay.

I did a couple of levels of the keep and found good stuff. Still haven't completed the companion stories I'm pretty sure. It would be nice to get them before I end this playthrough.

>>3669934
>Companion dialogue is written like TV show dialogue
I don’t watch TV and the game that finally made this sink in for me was BG3. The dialogue is just unbearable. Millennial writers were a mistake.
>t. millennial

>>3669963
>Full party creation über alles. Death to dev OCs!
Unironically this
>>3669976
Don’t play modder fan fiction, as a hard rule. The bg1 companions being thing is part of their charm. There’s dozens of them because they’re intended to be disposable adventurers that die tragically along the way in your campaign. Also, most of them are the devs old favorite DnD characters from their tabletop games.

>>3669983
>I don’t watch TV
I doubt anyone under 60 years of age does

All right, ToB is finished. I felt it was a great way to end the story. Although when it comes time to replay it, I'll turn down the difficulty, since it's quite combat heavy, with most of the encounters testing your party's limits and endurance. Anyways, I enjoyed it. A fitting final chapter/epilogue.

Now it's time to start over, this time from the original BG1. I still have to consider a new character. Ranger would be good, if good alignment wasn't a requirement. I may want a less good-natured character this time.

>>3670088
>Now it's time to start over
Now it's time to move on

>>3670088
Well shit, I was browsing classes, and rolled almost full stats for a fighter: 18/18/18/17/17/10. That gives options to dual class into anything at the start of BG2, if I feel like it.

>>3670149
18/00 str or bust

>>3670088
what's the particular diagnosis that lets people like you play a game over again immediately?

>>3670160
HFS. Having Fun Syndrome. You wouldn't understand.

>>3670248
i have plenty of fun, but not when i repeat shit immediately, i have to let some memories fade.
do you eat the same meals multiple days in a row?

I should have started with BG1. I'm loving this low level adventure so far. Although lower resolution took some getting used to, after the more advanced 800x600 of BG2.
I'm thinking of joining up with Edwin instead of Dynaheir and Minsc. Already killed the annoying guy in the village, so my character's villain arc has started.
>>3670160
Diagnosis? It's a RPG with tons of replayability and content I haven't seen, and I didn't play it 'till I hate it on my first playthrough.

>>3670253
NTA, but I will eat leftovers without issue. In my household leftovers are very good.

>>3670328
It's people who have no concept of food hygiene that have problems with leftovers
or then they just eat shit food to begin with

>>3670276
Remember to go east of Friendly Arm Inn to Peldvale to secure Viconia. Also, there is a very good plate armor hidden on Nashkel map. Look west, next to the fields.

>>3670468
>to Peldvale to secure Viconia
I might do that, one last excursion before going to those mines. I gotta say, the slow movement speed + large open areas makes traveling take time.
Also I gotta replace that Khalid guy, his low testosterone debuffs the whole group.

Btw I had to restart the game to pick a ranger class instead. I can't seem to "roleplay" a fighter class, especially if I'm just planning dual classing.
Ranger is a versatile protagonist class, and stealth is fun. I snuck into wilderness camp at night and oneshot mobs one by one, and I knew I made the right decision.

The "open" world design of BG1 is quite different from the approach BG2 took.

>>3670533
>his low testosterone debuffs the whole group.
this is almost actually, factually correct. He has the lowest morale threshold of all the companions iirc. Combined with his mid stats, he's pretty useless. Get yourself Kagain as a meatshield. 20 CON gives this short king excellent saving throws and HP reg.

>>3670554
I don't like khalid either, but he can get three pips (the fourth you can get too is less impactful) in longbows and fighter extra attacks is pretty great in bg1. Having comparatively good dex and con makes him solid too as he'll have good hp and AC and can be one of the better "tanks" with a shield even if he wont hit very hard without a strenght buff. The low morale is super annoying when it happens but at least for me it's actually quite rare to matter.

>>3667463
>kek predictable silence

>>3670328
I'm not talking about leftovers, I make all my meals to last at least two days, I'm talking about cooking the same meal day in and day out.