Oh No! Not another Baldur's Gate thread!

[duke o' york]

It's just that I was worried, because, as I said, I'm still doing Chapter 3, but the number of days I've got is already past that used by the save game you get with BGI, for those who only want to play ToSC. I've never loaded this game, but assume that the BGI quests are all finished, but you can still explore the newer areas from ToSC. What level should I go to Durlag's Tower at? It's the only area I haven't visited in the bottom half of the map, for obvious reasons.

[Traianvs]

durlag has the toughest battles and puzzles in the game so I wouldn't go there until you've looted Baldur's Gate

[duke o' york]

Now that's what I thought!

So you don't reckon that level 5 characters would make it out alive?

If anyone wants a challenge, then try to make it through the game without levelling your character(s) up.

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by duke o' york
Also, if I take my PC through to BGII, then can I choose a ranger kit for her, or will she always be a bog standard one? (and can I take the bracers of archery with me? )

I'm fairly sure that if you import charachters from BGI to BGII you can set them to any kit you wish of their previous class. This does mean that there are a couple of classes (Barbarian, and maybe Wild Mage?) that you can't play right through both games, but it's pretty flexible.

[duke o' york]

You can play these characters through them both with TUTU, but since you don't get them at the start of BGI, then you can't export them to BGII.

[Dry]

Originally posted by J Bytheway
I'm fairly sure that if you import charachters from BGI to BGII you can set them to any kit you wish of their previous class. This does mean that there are a couple of classes (Barbarian, and maybe Wild Mage?) that you can't play right through both games, but it's pretty flexible.

From what I remember - and what I have experienced:
What you keep:
- basic class
- Stats
- HP
- XP (levels)
- known spells (I'm not 100% sure of this one...)
- misc: Race/Gender/...

What you have to re-define:
- Weapon proficiencies
- Class Specialization (*)

What you lose:
- all your equipment.


(*) A Fighter cannot become a Ranger or a Paladin, but each basic class has access to the special Kits.
Now, a note on my experience with dual-class character:
In BG1, I had a Fighter (pure class) dualed with an Invoker.
This is no more possible in BG2, but it accept it other way round:
For my 1st class (Fighter), I had the possibility to specialize it (Kensai, Berzerk,...), while for my second class (Mage) I had no choice and had to take the basic mage.

[duke o' york]

Thanks for that explanation.
Really useful. Maybe I should have studied the BGII manual a little better for this kind of information, but I didn't want to spoil the story of BGI.

[Jamski]

From what I remember - and what I have experienced:
What you keep:
- basic class
- Stats
- HP
- XP (levels)
- known spells (I'm not 100% sure of this one...)
- misc: Race/Gender/...

What you have to re-define:
- Weapon proficiencies
- Class Specialization (*)

What you lose:
- all your equipment.

Almost 100% You lose the spells you know and have to rechoose them, and its possible to keep your gear by pausing the game VERY quickly, before the first cutscene, and dropping everything to the floor. The cutscene itself contains the script that strips your gear.

After the scene is over, pickup everything off the floor. Its not really worth cheating for though, as there is better stuff to be had in the first dungeon.

Jam

[duke o' york]

But how can you drop things when the game is paused? Every time you go to the character "bag" screen, it unpauses the game. This is a major pain in the bum if you are looking for a new weapon or whatever, but realistic enough.

[Dry]

Originally posted by duke o' york
Every time you go to the character "bag" screen, it unpauses the game.

That's BG1.

[duke o' york]

Aha!
I'm glad that you lot are here to tell me things like that before I play BG2, because it would be a lot more frenetic if I hadn't known that. I always play with my right hand on the mouse, and my left on the spacebar, so that I can pause the instant a fight begins/looks like it might begin/my girlfriend shouts for me, etc.

[J Bytheway]

Although in BGII the game will unpause if you open a container (e.g. bag of holding, scroll case, etc.) in the inventory, which has caused me some surprises in the past...

[Dry]

Originally posted by duke o' york
Aha!
I'm glad that you lot are here to tell me things like that before I play BG2, because it would be a lot more frenetic if I hadn't known that. I always play with my right hand on the mouse, and my left on the spacebar, so that I can pause the instant a fight begins/looks like it might begin/my girlfriend shouts for me, etc.

You are wellcome.
Now, how far do you want to know about BG2?
What kind of info would you consider as spoiler?

[Jamski]

In BG1 you can get it to pause in inventory by either using TuTu, or by starting the game as a MP game.

-Jam

[duke o' york]

I only want to know Jamski-vetted information about BGII. (at a push, Drogue)
It'll take me ages to even get to BGII and discover these things for myself, but I'll keep going with it and one day finish them both!
(then start again)