I just restarted Baldur's Gate II: SoA!

[Zoë Sumra]

I so need to pick up this again. A couple of years ago I started a new game, got out of the first dungeon and realised that the bonus pack with the Planescape items hadn't installed correctly so Deirdre wasn't there. I didn't carry on. Need to re-install that pack and try again...

I almost always play mages. In that stalled game, I'd created a kensai with the intention of dualling to mage.

[Shaun Snow]

Haer'Dalis is the best NPC tank in the game once you get him some bard armor and stoneskin, he can also have mirror image and blur for funzies. Blades are just overpowered.

I've never used Haer'Dalis for any extended period, though I have heard others speak of his unkillability if used correctly. Still, I've a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of a "tank" with such a tiny HP count. One good Fireball and he's chunked I would think. You're probably right though, no smoke without fire and all that.

Vicky has very good spellcasting stats but sucky tanking stats. She has good dex (the last important stat since the gloves of dex can fix it) and there's enough strength enhacing items that it doesen't really matter, butshe's got lousy constitution. Best cleric is Anomen

But you sir, you are just so wrong! Not only is Viconia smexy as all hell, and voiced by Grey "Azula" deLisle, but she is easily the best Cleric in the game. Her Dex and Wis are maxed already, and you already address the abundance of strength enhancing items, but theres also a belt that allows you to raise Con to 18 for 8 hours a day. Thats enough to last you through any dungeon, and best of all you dont need to keep it on to get the effect, just activate it and then switch it out for a different belt you've no doubt left in her inventory. Add to all that her innate 60-odd points of magic resistance, especially useful in a Cleric who should be the character you least want to get hit with status attacks, and shes five foot of pure awesome.

Also my favourite character, but you could probably tell. ;)

[Slurktan]

I've never used Haer'Dalis for any extended period, though I have heard others speak of his unkillability if used correctly. Still, I've a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of a "tank" with such a tiny HP count. One good Fireball and he's chunked I would think. You're probably right though, no smoke without fire and all that.

He's a bard so he can put the protection against fire spell on himself amongst other spells. Regardless even though he has shitty stats, Blades are by far the best natural class in the game which makes him the best NPC. Unless you dual class Sarevok to a thief, Haer' Dalis is also the only useful NPC that gets the "Use Any Item" high level ability. (Jan sucks)

[Maia]

Demonblade:

Great party. Keldorn is good, but not essential. Don't forget to find the talking sword for Minsc! Sorcerer is a nice class as long as you choose your spells well. Personally, I prefer caster-heavy parties, they are much more flexible and enjoyable to play IMHO.

Oh, and folks? Jansen rules. He is the best thief in the game and also casts some spells. What's not to like?

My party was: Keldorn, Valygar, Anomen, Jan, fan-NPC Kelsey (sorcerer) and my char the female wild mage.

I need to reinstall it one of these days and finish my evil play-through as a male fighter-thief with all the evil folks + Aerie and Haer'dalis.

[Daeric]

I used to run me, Jahiera, Minsc, Aeyrs, Keldorn and generally anyone until ToB when it was sevy all the way. Generally the party used to be all about just mass melee everything to do death because it was amusing.

[Noontidal]

There should almost be another game with Minsc and Boo as the main characters... but they'd prolly mess it up.

[ogbebaba]

this thread got me really wanting to play BDG II again so i bought the baldur's gate compilation (will be in the mail monday)

now i am worried that it might not play on my 64 bit vista system

I tried a google search and everyone seams to have a different version of weather all the games will work or not

can some of you computer savvy board members let me know if twill work on my system and what steps i may have to take to get it to work?

[Slurktan]

Demonblade:

Great party. Keldorn is good, but not essential. Don't forget to find the talking sword for Minsc! Sorcerer is a nice class as long as you choose your spells well. Personally, I prefer caster-heavy parties, they are much more flexible and enjoyable to play IMHO.

Oh, and folks? Jansen rules. He is the best thief in the game and also casts some spells. What's not to like?

He's a good thief. Problem with that is Thieves are 100% unnecessary for Shadows of Amn and the only traps you run into in TOB can either be walked around or Imoen can break them. He's basically a waste of a spot that could be used on someone useful. I'd almost rather take Cernd.

[Demonblade]

Hey Cernd is actually pretty cool to have. I once had him for quite a while but ended up having to choose between Jaheria and Cernd. Naturally I picked Jaheria, but I'm trying to figure out a configuration where Cernd would be a good fit. As for Jan, I never used him. I always had some other people who could do what he could do and more, so he is out. He's pretty mediocre, if you ask me.

[HP Loveshaft]

I can't believe anyone would take Cernd. He's just so...boring. Though now it makes me want to replay and take along the characters I always ditched: that giant douche Anomen, stick in the mud Cernd, emo Aerie, personality of cardboard Valgarv. Not sure who should be the last person in the 'worst party' party...probably Haer'dalis.

[Lyanna Stark]

OMG how could you not take Jan?? I never play through BoG2 without Jan and Mincs, they are by far the most entertaining characters in there. :)

I've even played through it once with Nalia, Imoen AND Jan in my party. :P I think for a while I even ran Aerie in it too. But then I prefer to run magic and cleric heavy.

To people who said Vicky is a bad tank, noes, she isn't as has been stated above. Plus the magic immunity? Golden. Only problem is to try to run her and Keldorn in the same party, if you want to have that setup.

Never liked HaerDalis personality so never used him long, the guy's a wanker. :laugh:

Agreed with Loveshaft on Cernd. I never even pick him up long enough to do his quest. Sooooo boring.

[Lightning Lord]

I saw this thread so I picked up BG II and tried to start playing. Um, how do I not suck at this game? I don't know anything. The magic system confuses me: I memorize a spell, but then I can't cast it anymore? I can't identify any of my items and one of my characters (Aerie) just dies over and over because she only has 30 HP. Even the armor class confuses me: is a high or low number good?

[Mentat]

I'll take your questions one by one:

Um, how do I not suck at this game? I don't know anything.

Learn :P

The magic system confuses me: I memorize a spell, but then I can't cast it anymore?

Spells: first you learn them as part of your level progression, then you memorize them as your daily spells, finally you rest to acquire them for next day. You can only use spells a limited number of times per day depending on the daily spells you memorized (e.g. if as a mage you have 3 3rd lvl spell slots you can memorize the 3rd lvl spell fireball 0, 1, 2 or 3 times, so you'll be able to use it that number of times without having to rest again

I can't identify any of my items

Items can be identified by the 1st lvl spell identify (learn it or stock on scrolls), by a pair of magic identifying glasses (work 3 times a day, I think there's a pair for sale at the Amn bazaar), by a high lvl high INT mage or by a bard.

and one of my characters (Aerie) just dies over and over because she only has 30 HP

For starters, you should find yourself a cleric to resurrect your characters mid dungeon (if you're in a city just hit a temple). Aerie is seen by mean, heartless people as weak and emo, but she's actually cute and adorable and it does you credit to have her in your group. Just keep her at the back of your formation and have her cast spells (she can alternate between curing your party and casting offensive spells on the bad guys).

Even the armor class confuses me: is a high or low number good?

Low is good, the lower the better. You usually just want to equip characters with the heaviest armor they can use, though. A +1 full plate will probably last you to near end-game. You should have played D&D in high-school, though. Now it's too late and the newer D&D editions have higher armor-class being better because they thought it was 'confusing'. Bah.

[Zoë Sumra]

I saw this thread so I picked up BG II and tried to start playing. Um, how do I not suck at this game? I don't know anything. The magic system confuses me: I memorize a spell, but then I can't cast it anymore? I can't identify any of my items and one of my characters (Aerie) just dies over and over because she only has 30 HP. Even the armor class confuses me: is a high or low number good?

A low armour class number is good.

Spells: you have to write the spell to your spell-book, then memorise it by loading it into your memory-slots and sleeping. You can only cast each memorised copy of a spell once until you sleep again, but you can memorise multiple copies of the same spell to enable you to cast the same spell multiple times.

Keep Aerie and any low HP character right at the back of the party, so that the bad guys see your high HP characters first and attack them first. If you're using Aerie for her healing spells, this is a perfectly good place to keep her permanently.

ETA: Or what Mentat said.

[Derfel Cadarn]

this thread got me really wanting to play BDG II again so i bought the baldur's gate compilation (will be in the mail monday)

now i am worried that it might not play on my 64 bit vista system

I tried a google search and everyone seams to have a different version of weather all the games will work or not

can some of you computer savvy board members let me know if twill work on my system and what steps i may have to take to get it to work?

I've found it to be okay, apart from save errors but i think thats due to confusion caused by pasting my old saves into the directory. I'm going to delete it and start again.

[sologdin]

pair for sale at the Amn bazaar

i'm such a loser for knowing this, but they're actually for sale from the fence on the second floor of the house whereto you get railroaded by that shadow thief ("cooo!" &c.) after travelling to the coronet map for the first time.

Now it's too late and the newer D&D editions have higher armor-class being better because they thought it was 'confusing'. Bah.

heh. one always did run into some subliterate tool who just could not be compelled to understand the old AC and THAC0 rules. i knew a couple folks who had played AD&D for years and never understood the concepts.

[Maia]

He's a good thief. Problem with that is Thieves are 100% unnecessary for Shadows of Amn

There are no "necessary" classes for SoA. It can be completed solo! I found a thief with properly chosen skills to be very useful to have around. I did have Nalia in the party for a time and having her as an only thief is just very, very tedious. IMHO, YMMV.

[Slurktan]

There are no "necessary" classes for SoA. It can be completed solo! I found a thief with properly chosen skills to be very useful to have around. I did have Nalia in the party for a time and having her as an only thief is just very, very tedious. IMHO, YMMV.

Well yes :lol: and I have beaten it solo so you are quite correct. I should say then there was never a point in the game for me where I thought to myself "Oh I wish I had a better thief." It was almost as rare to even think "Oh I wish I had a thief" at all.

Nalia just blows as a character, at least to me. Boring boring storywise, thief skills are shitty at best and the other NPC mages (other than Jan!) are just better.

[Demonblade]

Nalia is pretty much the exact replica of Imoen, except Imoen has better thieving skills. If you're not going to get Imoen right away and you need a mage right quick, Nalia's a good one to get. Otherwise, she's pretty expendable. For myself, if my main isn't a mage of some sort, I usually get Imoen and Nalia or Aerie.

[Durckad]

I want to just add that I hate you all because now I want to replay this game yet again.

Maybe I'll finally finish off ToB this time. :)