Baldurs gate - how should I start.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Jamski
That's the "standard goodguys" party. These are the people the game was balanced with. (Well, with a PC Fighter, but Ranger is the same really) Personally I'd have let Dynaheir get eaten so I could take another Fighter or Cleric... but that's just my style.

-Jam

well if i was starting over, id probably make PC an archer rather than a tank, assuming im still going to get Minsc. making everyone an archer may be cheesy, but two archers and one tank instead of two tanks and one archer seems reasonable. Id also consider geting the good archer from near high hedge (kivan?) instead of khaled, but that would mean taking bronwen instead of jaheira, and Bronwens weakness in battle might be a problem - though i suppose i play well enough now to overcome that. Alternatively make PC a tank and drop Minsc and Dynaheir for the archer and any other good mage i can find (?)

For now though i just want to move the plot along and not bother with party changes.

[centrifuge]

I had some problems last night with my game, and not wanting to introduce any spoilers, I'll just say that I am now stuck and have no way (other than to use gatekeeper?) to further the plot. Anyway, I've decided to keep my current character, and try to take on durlags tower and ulgoth's beard solo. Needless to say it is becoming quite difficult (reloads o plenty)

[Drogue]

Originally posted by Jamski
That's the "standard goodguys" party. These are the people the game was balanced with. (Well, with a PC Fighter, but Ranger is the same really) Personally I'd have let Dynaheir get eaten so I could take another Fighter or Cleric... but that's just my style.

I go the other way. I'd find that severly lacking in magic power as it is. For a goodguys party I tend to do that with a mage as a PC. I like having one full-time thief, 2 fighters, one cleric and 2 mages. Spells make so much of it pretty easy Sometimes I even take Xan, because he's a fun character

Is it possible to do it solo with a fighter? Is there any part of the main story you can't do with a fighter?

Originally posted by lord of the mark
well if i was starting over, id probably make PC an archer rather than a tank, assuming im still going to get Minsc. making everyone an archer may be cheesy, but two archers and one tank instead of two tanks and one archer seems reasonable.

I always have everyone I can doing both. Minsc stands in front with longbow, Khalid and Jaheira just behind, Khalid as specialist bowman, and Jaheira with a sling, and then two mages behind, using spells or slings. Imoen either hides in shadows, get's close and backstabs/uses a short bow or stands with Jaheira and fires arrows. Kills almost any normal thing without spells before it can touch me, and if it does, Minsc uses his sword, and sometimes Khalid and Jaheira join him with a sword and club respectively.

Originally posted by lord of the mark
Id also consider geting the good archer from near high hedge (kivan?) instead of khalid

Khalid's a fighter, and when he gets 4 or 5 in longbow, he's far better than a ranger with 2. Kiven's better at hand to hand, with his higher strength, but for the bow you want Khalid.

Originally posted by lord of the mark
Alternatively make PC a tank and drop Minsc and Dynaheir for the archer and any other good mage i can find (?)

Personally, I like to keep the party dynamic going, so I don't like to switch later in the game. However there will be one or two mages you may come across.

[Drogue]

Originally posted by centrifuge
I had some problems last night with my game, and not wanting to introduce any spoilers, I'll just say that I am now stuck and have no way (other than to use gatekeeper?) to further the plot.

You could write what happen in spoiler tags?

Originally posted by centrifuge
Anyway, I've decided to keep my current character, and try to take on durlags tower and ulgoth's beard solo. Needless to say it is becoming quite difficult (reloads o plenty)

Can you do Ulgoth's beard before you finish BGI? What's the character?

[centrifuge]

Originally posted by Drogue

You could write what happen in spoiler tags?

Okay

Spoiler:

In the fight at the Duchal Palace when Sarevok is being coronated, I killed all of the dopplegangers and saved Belt? and the other one(can't remember the name), so belt went into his speech and afterwards when Sarevok attacked
both of them died. So I couldn't talk to them, and couldn't get teleported to the thieves guild. I tried going to the the guild but the stairs weren't accessable .

So at that point I just decided to go solo and do some more quests so that I could import into BG2.

Originally posted by Drogue
Can you do Ulgoth's beard before you finish BGI? What's the character?

As long as you have the totsc x-pack installed, I assume that you can do ulgoth's beard anytime you want (assuming that you've gotten far enough to find it on the map of course.) I've got BG-the original saga (which comes w/ the x-pack), and that is the case.


My character is a mage/thief, he's relatively low on hit points, but strong on magic and thieving abilities. Plus he has some pretty nice items (ring of wizardry, nice bow, robe of the arch magi, plenty of potions of speed and healing, and loads arrows)

[Drogue]

Ahhh, I always though Ulgoth's was after BGI, and you got teleported there. Never did it though, always skipped to BGII. I have a file halfway through BGII that's been imported. A roleplay as a cleric. Got bored though, so trying to do BGII solo with a cleric. It's the class I associate most with, although since it's hard to play solo (no stealing, and no spells to unlock chests/find traps, no major fighting ability, etc.) I've rolled some quite good stats (12 str, 18 dex, 10 con, 18 int, 18 wis, 7 cha). He's human, and have got him up (1) in 'sword and shield style', Flail and Sling. He needs sling for the ranged attack and flail for flail of ages. Next he'll go up in mace (high level turn undead+anti-vampire mace will be brilliant) and then warhammer, for Chyrom Fyaer (sp?). Should be fun, and when he gets the warhammer he'll be unstopable

Was tempted with monk, but I like clerics

[centrifuge]

I've always been tempted with monks as well, I think that maybe I'll give one a try sooner or later.

Anyone know if IWD has monks?

[Jamski]

(12 str, 18 dex, 10 con, 18 int, 18 wis, 7 cha)

Why 18 INT for a Cleric, Drogue? 18 STR would be of some use at least... 18 INT will only help you a TINY bit vs. Mindflayers and that's it. 16 CON would help too...

As for traps... well, any class can have a familiar in BG2, if you know how Cleric Spell - Find Traps? Use summons to trigger them?

No monkeys in IWD. Try IWD2 or BG2.

-Jam

[centrifuge]

Yeah, I didn't think so. I've gone through IWD2 already, but not IWD. I was going to give it a go after I finished with BG2.

[Jamski]

If you've played the others you know what to expect.

An IWD2 style adventure with a BG1/2 style interface and BG1/2 rules (mostly)

-Jam

[centrifuge]

Jamski,

Have you gone through the fallouts? I have both 1 and 2, but haven't gone through them yet. I know that they are post nuclear rpgs and use the same engine, but what can a baldurs gate fan expect?

[Jamski]

Dunno really. The Fallout games never appealed to me. I'm sure they're great... but I already have so many games I never play.

-Jam

[lord of the mark]

and how does Morrowind compare to BG?

Less linear I take, it thought the linearity of BG doesnt bother me - seems like there are a lot of ways to get through it.

How hack and slash is it? BG is about as much hack and slash as id like - id be more interested in something a tad less hack and slash.


I guess the other main attributes are that BG is party oriented, premade characters, and 3rd person view. How is morrowind in comparison?

[Bonaparte]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
and how does Morrowind compare to BG?

There is no comparison. BG is at least 100 times better than Morrowind!!!

[Jamski]

Morrowwind is complicated, LONG, dull, pretty graphics that run slow even on super machines and lacking in story-drive. Sure its more "freeform" than the BG games, but it does this at the cost of storyline.

Oh, and its all 3D first person crap too.

-Jam