So let's talk about the Black Pits (spoilers)

Kilivitz

First of all, sorry if this topic is now old, but as you guys know, this board's search isn't very useful and I can't seem to find a walkthrough for this part of the game around the web.

I wasn't thrilled at all when the Black Pits was announced for BG:EE as I'm not very keen on arena-style games. However, being indecisive as usual about my next game, and being somewhat of a closeted powergamer, I decided to make a party and give it a go.

My first impression is that the battles were easier than I expected. I didn't lose once apart from the final fight with Baeloth. I thought maybe it's because I've been playing BG for a long time, but then again, I was never very good with combat strategy. The fight with the warriors from Thay killed most of my group, until my Dwarf Barbarian came out of Domination and slaughtered what was left of their group on his own. That was fun.

However, after finally defeating Baeloth, I had everyone but my Sorcerer and Archer down, including a very unfortunate petrified Kensai in pieces. The rakshasa whose name escapes me now just wouldn't go down.

Needless to say, after that fight was over I had no chance against any other foes. That's the part I'd like you guys to spoil me.

So the genie leaves me to wander around a little bit, and after a while the gnome who sells scrolls (he's a gnome, right?) comes in. I'm ashamed to admit I fleed. The ending also hints at a fight with the approaching clan of Duergars. So... does that battle happen? Does it change the ending at all? I'm curious.

Share your Black Pits impressions here if you are bored. I'd love to read them.

Luigirules

From what I read, if you don't take the teleport out an endless wave of duergars assault you.

Jalily

If you had waited, a group of duergar warriors would have arrived and started attacking you (because you're outsiders). Magda and Brendak will urge you to escape. If you stick around long enough, Najim will teleport out by himself, and Magda and Brendak will abandon you to the endless waves of enemies. There's no separate epilogue.

Kilivitz

Hmm I see. So it becomes an endless survival of sorts. Thanks for letting me know! Right now I don't feel like going through the campaign again as I'd rather start a new regular game.

Just one last question: I noticed that the protagonist didn't go past 161k XP, as opposed to the rest of the party. Is that the intended behavior? I imagine it's supposed to prevent the player from importing a character past the XP cap into the main game, but I'm not sure.

TJ_Hooker

Regarding the Black Pits XP cap, check out this thread
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/15047/black-pits-level-cap-research

Kilivitz

Will do, thanks.

LoneWolfDon

I just finished playing through The Black Pits. In the end I only lost my mage. Then I teleported out of there, and that was the end. It was a fun diversion playing through it and a good addition I think for something different from the main game, but it was all mainly about the combat side of the game.

Kilivitz

I was surprised by the quality of the writing and voice-overs. Not that I was expecting anything subpar, but it has a lot of depth for what was supposed to be just an arena mode.

TJ_Hooker

I too was surprised by the quality of the voice acting, all of which I found to be pretty excellent. Overall I'd say it's better than the voice acting found in the new NPCs' quests in the BG campaign.

Kilivitz

I'm going off-topic now, but the one thing that bothers me in the new VOs is actually the recording/encoding quality.

I mean, they're way better than the original soundsets, and are equalized differently, so when you play the game using headphones (like I pretty much always do), the difference is not only noticeable, but a bit jarring.

But then again, maybe no one else gives a damn. Haven't read any similar complaints, at least.

RogueN

I liked Black pits, since i played BG series before there was nothing new for me PRG wise, so i enjoyed this new short story along with the arena style challenge. It was not hard, though it is a bit of a challenge to get through it without reloading for example.
For those wondering, in the end if you do not leave and stay to fight duergars, apparently there is no ending. I was killing them non stop for around 90 minutes real-time and they did not give up

mjs

i really enjoyed the Black Pits and it would be fun to have something similar in BG2:EE for higher level parties with higher level battles

two dragons? a demi-lich and an army of skeleton warriors?

Zoimos

I enjoyed the black pits but wish it was connected to the main game, would of preferred it if it was like an expanded version of the arena in the mind flayer dungeon in BG2

Aasimar069

I also wonder what would be the best party for this scenario...

1 priest/warrior
1 mage
2 ranged dps (two bow wielding warriors could be great)
2 close range dps (1 berserker / 1 cavalier or 1 inquisitor - if he can wield bows)

since thief are useless and single class priest/mage are weak, what could be the best party ?

Erg

If you're looking for an overpowered party, I would do something like

1) Berserker/Druid
2) Kensai/Mage
3) Sorcerer
4) Archer
5) Cleric/Ranger
6) add your favourite build here

Edit: a possible choice for #6 is Fighter/Thief if you like backstabbing, otherwise whatever suits more your play style.

mjs

@erg

at what level/BP fight would you dual class these? leave it too late and you have too many weak deadweights in your party. or would you need to replay fights again?

FinneousPJ

You can easily use a four (or even three) person party since you don't need a normal DnD party. The game's only hack n slash - you could make do with a Mage, Cleric and Fighter.

Erg

mjs said:

at what level/BP fight would you dual class these? leave it too late and you have too many weak deadweights in your party. or would you need to replay fights again?

@mjs

I've dualled the Kensai at 5th and the Berserker at 6th.

I've dualled the Ranger at level 2, but now I would rather use a multi for the Ranger/Cleric

I've never replayed a fight to farm XP, in fact I hadn't even reached the XP cap at the end.

It makes slightly more challenging some of the early/midgame battles, until the Kensai and Berserker had regained their levels, but the overall party is strong enough to pull this out.

[Deleted User]

mjs said:

@erg

at what level/BP fight would you dual class these? leave it too late and you have too many weak deadweights in your party. or would you need to replay fights again?

Replaying fights is always an option. The level cap in BP is a bit weird for dual-class characters, but I think if you dual-classed at level 7 you'd be able to get your abilities back.

On the subject of slot 6, normally I'd be all over a Fighter/Thief to round out the party, but BP has very little call for trap removal, and gives you few opportunities for backstabbing unless you create them with Invisibility spells. Just something to consider.

Erg

Kaigen said:

On the subject of slot 6, normally I'd be all over a Fighter/Thief to round out the party, but BP has very little call for trap removal, and gives you few opportunities for backstabbing unless you create them with Invisibility spells. Just something to consider.

@Kaigen

Yes, I agree. That's why I left the position open and merely suggested it in the edit. I personally don't even like too much backstabbing. I've used that party in my first BP playthrough and for #6 I had a Swashbuckler, but I didn't know how useless thieves are in BP at the time.

mjs

@kaigen

i noticed that too, there's only one trap round and you can blast through those and take the hits. thieves aren't needed at all in BP. now if they reset those traps...

[Deleted User]

@Erg Honestly, with how many dangerous fighters you have in that party, a Skald would probably be a good way to round it out.

Erg

Kaigen said:

@Erg Honestly, with how many dangerous fighters you have in that party, a Skald would probably be a good way to round it out.

Yep, nice suggestion!

Erg

Also, I've realised only before the final battle with Bealoth, that you can prebuff in BP. /facepalm!

I thought, erroneously, that buffs would be dispelled at the beginning of each fight, so that party is even more overpowered than what I've experienced

Aasimar069

Ok, for the moment I'm replaying it with :

- Inquisitor (Katana/mace/long bow) : completly cheese. Useless in BG (mages are a joke) but very usefull in Black Pits.

- Berserker (Katana/mace).

- Ranged warrior (for quicker levelling - long bow + mace and heavy armor !)

- Second Ranged warrior (for quicker levelling - long bow + mace and heavy armor !)

- Half-elf Warrior/cleric (more life and thac0 for melee with mace / warhammers + sling).

- Dual classed warrior/mage at level 3 (more HP, ability to wear helmets and shields, *** in slings and bows)

For the moment it seems to be a good choice (levelling is fast).

[Deleted User]

Very nice, although I'm curious as to why you placed such a heavy emphasis on maces. Granted, you need a few people who can put out crushing damage for the clay golem fight, but considering the Morning Star +2 does more damage than Krotan's Skullcrusher, and you can also get multiple Ashideenas, I'd think you'd branch out a bit.

mjs

@kaigen @aasimar069

definitely agree with about the ashideenas: in one party i had a blade dual wielding and a cleric with the 3rd.

supreme weapon for fighting baeloth

kamuizin

Finshed one black pit adventure now, didn't liked it too much. Not because it's boring, for the contrary, my frist play was somehow nice, but as debated a long time ago, BG engine can't work for diablo II game styles, that's exactly what Black Pits is.

Few to none quests, only fight, buy equipment, fight, speak with the NPCs after each tier.

For me the mini-saga would be better if:

1° - The battles you get where random instead of fixed ones (based on their level of course)
2° - some other mini-quests to be done there.
3° - special items to be adquired in special moments or quest

A thief is pretty useless as we doesn't have space to hide in shadows on the pits.

I got disappointed also, cos i didn't had the chance to fight the beholder at the end.


A suggestion i made for the devs, is to make an Black Pits end save (after baeloth's defeat when the Genie is waiting for you to teleport out of the place).

This final save should be worked to become a new game+ on the vanilla game, and based on your actions, whom you helped/fucked, the items on your inventory among other variants, the BG game started with an black pits end save should introduce some of the items, monsters and even events/background based on the characters of each tier.

kamuizin

Just to remembering that black pits is missing magic clubs, that fucked my fighter druid with grand mastery on clubs in my first run of the Black Pits.

KidCarnival

The only thief that is useful is an assassin with a fast ranged weapon - like darts. Nearly all "caster with minions" (necro guy, ogre mage, druid, Thayans) are over very quickly after the first hit when they fail casting. You need no thief skills at all (searching traps in Shadow Thief fight? Cast Detect Invisibility and kill ranged...), so the only real drawback of assassins doesn't matter one bit. It's more effective to have a ranged poison weapon than a melee Blackguard; you can hit all casters much faster with darts than having a Blackguard run around and hunt them.