Does anyone restrict themselves from visiting Ulgoth's Beard too early?
Oxford_Guy
Member Posts: 3,729
On a current duo minimal relaod (was no reload...) run through with a Jester (and just Safana) I had accumlated loads of loot pretty early, so nipped up to Ulgoth's Beard and bought the +3 staff and Greenstone Ring. I'm fine with doing this in a duo game, as it's quite difficult enough and I need all the help I can get, but if playing with a party, I was wondering if anyone restricts themselves visiting it until a certain point e.g. after Cloakwood? The Greenstone Ring, in particular, is pretty overpowered at low levels, though short-lasting.
2
Comments
Candlekeep,
Nashkal,
Surrounding Areas,
Bandit Camp,
Cloakwood Mines,
Durlag's Tower,
Baldur's gate/Ulgoth's Beard (simultaneously).
Back to Durlag's Tower until done.
Candlekeep and the rest.
But that's me. I don't tend to power game. Which is perfectly fine and legit way to play. Just not mine.
I once went there relatively early (around level 4) to get the sandthief ring, only to end up rarely using it because Baeloth appeared and covered my Invisibility needs.
I finish up the Tenya and Zombie quests while I'm up there, then I pop over to Ulgoth's Beard.
The only thing I really do there though is pickpocket the Free Action ring, then I leave and don't return until much later in the game.
Ulgoth's Beard came to the vanilla game with the expansion, so it should not be reachable from the start.
From my point of view, the level of the main character is not so important here (because, for example, when you're soloing or travelling with only one companion you're acquiring the experience very fast). For me, the main criterias for evaluating your right to go to Ulgoth's Beard are the following: the number of locations cleared, the number of quests done, the stage of the main quest.
So, from the RP point of view it's better to restrict yourself from going to Ulgoth's Beard before the solid part of the game is over. And I see the quest to clear the Nashkel Mines as the beginning of the game regardless of the level of the main character.
Also, such items as the Ring of Free Action, the Quarterstaff +3 and the Ring of Invisibility are very powerful artefacts, they can ruin the difficulty of the gameplay.
In short, it's like the following rule. You can't have a manual of Gainful Exercise from the start of the game, can you?
I do the same thing with Twisted Rune & Kangaxx in BG2, leaving until Ch6, and leave Watcher's Keep to ToB. It's not really about avoiding powergaming, it's more about doing what feels 'right'. Leave the harder content until the point in the game where an average flock of 6 characters would be able to tackle it with a bit of strategy.
About the only reason I might shop there early on would be for the staff +3 if I had a character that was focusing on staff and I don't have any RP issues with doing that - it's certainly within the realm of possibility that the news of such a weapon (or other items) being available there might find it's way to taverns or barracks around the area where Charname and/or one of his cohorts might hear about it.
If I am going to go there early I will usually do so at the same time I do the fisherman quest since it takes me close enough to make it reasonable especially when I discover I can't enter BG City.