Please share your favorite combat tactics for BG1(EE) (compiling them)
Lemernis
Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
The difference between this and the many other threads on this subject is that I'm attempting to compile and organize them as part of my bardic quest to catalog everything BG. At this stage I'm working on BG1/EE. Since this is the BG:EE forum, I guess tactics should be BG1 using the ToB engine. Many spells are shared in common with vanilla BG1, but I'll sort that out.
I'm organizing tactics into three basic categories:
No-Spoiler
This category is intended for new players who wish to avoid spoilers. Veteran players please think in these terms when sharing combat tactics. Cheese is fine. Just no spoilers please!
No-Cheese
Intended for players whose approach is more in the Roleplaying vein, and is designed for those who try not to use their meta-knowledge of the game and/or to exploit the game engine.
Powergamer-Style
For the player who freely uses anything and everything at his or her disposal to get the win.
If you can think of other categories please share!
I'm going to feature the standout submissions that are posted in this thread here.
I really appreciate your help in contributing! Thanks!
I'm organizing tactics into three basic categories:
No-Spoiler
This category is intended for new players who wish to avoid spoilers. Veteran players please think in these terms when sharing combat tactics. Cheese is fine. Just no spoilers please!
No-Cheese
Intended for players whose approach is more in the Roleplaying vein, and is designed for those who try not to use their meta-knowledge of the game and/or to exploit the game engine.
Powergamer-Style
For the player who freely uses anything and everything at his or her disposal to get the win.
If you can think of other categories please share!
I'm going to feature the standout submissions that are posted in this thread here.
I really appreciate your help in contributing! Thanks!
Post edited by Lemernis on
1
Comments
Well, let's see..
Category: No-Cheese
Name: Basic (low level) "Bait-and-Shoot" tactic
Minimum Requirements: 2 party members (at least one of them equipped [and proficient] with a ranged weapon)
Works best against: Strong single melee opponents such as Bears
Description: One party member is the "bait" (preferably the one who moves faster) and one is equipped with a ranged weapon (preferably the one who shoots better).. the "bait" lures the opponent to follow/hunt him while the shooter takes the opponent down.
Cast sleep, kill stuff. Keep casting sleep if enemies save. Rest if you run out of sleep(should be rare enough due to a certain ring).
Covers about 50% of the game right there.
#1: Power Word: Lay There and Take It
The priest spell Command is hilariously awesome, it drops the target unconscious for 6 seconds, and unless they're above level 6 or so, doesn't permit them a save. Whilst unconscious the target has no AC and takes damage automatically, so casting this on a tough enemy makes for some easy fights as well as a handy getaway card.
#2: Crowd Control abuse.
Sleep, and its big brother Emotion, are AOE unconsciousness causers and sleep especially lasts for a long, long while. Smacking a sleep spell onto almost any group of non-undead enemies in the first half or so of the game is an almost guaranteed victory.
Other than Sleep and Emotion, Web disabled the enemy and stops them from attacking or casting spells, and Horror just makes them run around like pansies whilst you can pelt them with missile weapons. Spells that deal no damage whatsoever are some of my favourites simply because they're so powerful, yet are frequently underestimated.
#3: Summon fu.
Arguably the most problematic fact that faces the player and his party is being outnumbered. Summons, especially great ones like animate dead can waste enemy resources (particularly nasty spells like Dire Charm, which can devastate a party) in dealing with them, and frequently if you send them in without being seen by the enemy then they'll see the summons as simply Wandering Monsters and not pursue you.
#4: Kite everything.
Ranged attacks are awesome, especially in BG1 where powerful ranged attackers are rare. Even against enemies faster than you, if you time your attacks right then you can stop running, lob a missile at them, and keep on running, all without your enemies ever getting a chance to hit you.
#5: Peekaboo.
With the right terrain and a stealth capable character operating alone, you can literally play peekaboo with your enemy, stepping out of cover to hit them, then vanishing back into cover and hiding again before they reach you. You only need to be out of sight of enemies for an instant before you can attempt to hide again.
#5b: Abusing Peekaboo and spellcasters.
Divine spellcasters love to cast hold spells, leaving you ultimately helpless so they can run up and beat you like a red-headed stepchild. If you can run out of their field of vision as they start casting, then when they stop casting, they'll no longer know where you are when the spell hits, so they won't chase after you.
This is great when playing solo, since you'll just stand there, helpless but unmolested, until the spell runs out (or in my case, be almost beat to death by a puny level 1 skeleton rather than actually beaten to death by the level 10 cleric).
If you can change areas between the spellcaster casting the spell, then the spell will bounce off wherever you just slipped into, wasting the spell.
Doom + Charm on the strongest enemy is nice too.
Wait until opponents defensive spells have worn off :P. Either by being Invisible or by resting close to enemy spellcasters. They will be much easier then.
Poison-Ability:
Blackguards poison weapon ability also applies for ranged weapons. That makes them an effective mage-killer, because the poison-tick will quite frequently disrupt the spellcasting and with special arrows (ice-arrows,...) you can also get through stoneskin or some other defenses.
Kiting:
with boots of speeds, everything thats slower than you and has less range can be easily killed by shooting and running.
Changing areas during fights (cheese):
By stepping through doors or up/and down staircases only a few opponents will follow to the next area and they will be in meele-range. Useful for splitting up larger groups of ranged enemys.
If you're against cheese and like a challenge, scouting is almost mandatory. Also, it makes the game so much easier and saves you the hassle of reloading all the time because you were unprepared for an upcoming fight.
Scouting is done best with a thief with high Move Silently/Hide in Shadows skill or with a Ranger in light armor, or with invisibility spells/potions (although they are too limited). So, try to get an NPC (or Charname) to become a stealther, and use him generously.
Category: No-Cheese
Name: Basic shoot quickly/shoot first "Interrupt" tactic
Minimum Requirements: 1 party member (equipped [and proficient] with a ranged weapon or [better] with the "Magic Missile" spell [or "Magic Missile" wand])
Works best against: Single spellcaster
Description: The best way to defeat enemy spellcasters is to prevent them from casting spells. There are several ways to achieve this and this is the most basic one. As soon as a fight vs. an enemy spellcaster begins shoot him with your most potent ranged weapon (or with "Magic Missile" spells) to interrupt his spellcasting. This works best with the "Magic Missile" spell (even cast from a wand) and/or if the shooter[s] is/are "hastened".
No to mention: The more people you have in your party equipped with ranged weapons/readied "Magic Missile" spells, the greater the chance to interrupt the spellcaster.. so make use of your party!
Category: No-Cheese
Name: Advanced shoot quickly/shoot first "Interrupt" tactic
Minimum Requirements: At least 2 party members (one equipped [and proficient] with a ranged weapon or [better] with the "Magic Missile" spell [or "Magic Missile" wand] and one with readied "Melf's Acid Arrow[s]")
Works best against: Single spellcaster
Description: Use the basic version of this tactic with at least one party member, while the (other) caster uses the spell "Melf's Acid Arrow" instead of "Magic Missile". The benefit of this spell is, that for every three levels the caster has achieved, the acid lasts for another round, unless somehow neutralized, inflicting another 2d4 points of damage each round and hence also interrupting the enemy caster automatically. The disadvantage of the spell is, that it takes two rounds to cast, so that's why you should have at least another party member who uses the basic version of this tactic.
So I used to hate Aganazzar's Scorcher and said feature of Wands of Fire until, in Icewind Dale, I realized something.
Now, the point of origin of this line-shaped spell remains stationary for the duration of the spell...but the target is free to move around. SO, you can have the target run around and cause whoever is creating this obnoxious line of fire to burn their allies! It's even more awesome if you're hasted, or otherwise really fast!
Now, for the cheesy part: If the target or one of your allies has a resistance to fire of above 100%, this will actually heal them. So, if the target of this spell were to be over 100% resistant to fire and really fast, they could be A) Healing themselves;
Especially fun if you have a mega-resistant tank in the middle of an area of effect spell. I remember one part of Durlag's Tower in particular healed Shar-Teel while it probably contributed to the permanent deaths of Kivan and Yeslick.
Perhaps Sequencers and Aganazzar's Scorcher would work, as well?
Exploding Backstabs
Another neat tactic I discovered involves Magic-User/Thieves. Better if higher-level Fighter/Magic-User/Thieves are used, but whatever!
Put up as many of these buffs as you can (preferably all~): Draw Upon Holy Might, Mirror Image, Stoneskin, whatever. Even better if you use something to really up your strength score. Enter stealth, or go invisible. Sneak up to the strongest enemy in a room, and backstab it; provided it hasn't been bisected by you, it should probably be hurting pretty badly regardless. Hang in melee with your victim or just stand there admiring your boots, until the enemies are beginning to swarm around you; now, drop an obnoxiously powerful area of effect spell. Even better if you have some sequencers set up and are hasted and have some Wands of Fire or exploding flasks handy.
Make Your Enemies Pass Away To Death
A favorite of mine that I found - probably from that Dan Simpson fellow who wrote Game FAQs guides for Baldur's Gate - would be Minor Spell Sequencer - Doom + Chromatic Orb at higher levels.
also my favorite projectiles in the world are...
-Darts of Wounding
-Arrows of Biting
-Bolts of Biting
-Pretty much anything that poisons an enemy, because it's your perfect "SHUT UP" for any enemy spellcaster. Stating the obvious, but still. It's beautiful.
The Blade kits ability Offensive Spin and Haste (f.ex. from boots) stack, so you can achieve an incredible movement speed and reach each caster in meele before they casted their first spell. Combined with Dagger of Venom, Bala's Axe, Stupefier or whatever you have an effective meele way to deal with enemy ranged/magic-threats, too.
Other Buffs + Defensive Spin (no cheese):
The highest possible AC in the game (I think)
Wand of Paralyzation (although working as intended i'm inclined to call it cheese):
This wand also works on difficult enemys like Aec'Letec and Shandalar (didn't test on Sarevoc), making these fights far to easy