I personnaly never managed tae master the end fight of ToB with Ascension and Tactics mods (+ few others too... like Stratagems. Well, the full pack of WeiDu, the kind of mods that makes the very single little caster a potential lethal enemy for your party. Gotta love it). Made it several times, but it was always about luck, a good critical hit at the good moment, an enemy that remains in the fog of war... On the other hand, i assume few people played made it overall hehehe. That remains - to me - the very very harder fight in whole Baldur's Gate serie, mods assumed.
Yeah, hate Astral Prison especially when AI go nuts about pathfinding and decide to jump in them, so many save and loads... @lansounet And about that dog stew, Korgan/Jan never let me do that trick, how could they ate it all is beyond my comprehension O_o
I never mastered the urge to kill noober... I know that you supposed to get experience if he nags you enough, But I always at some point give up and send an arrow/bolt towards him, its just dont worth it
I never mastered the urge to kill noober... I know that you supposed to get experience if he nags you enough, But I always at some point give up and send an arrow/bolt towards him, its just dont worth it
ETTERCAPS! Damn I hate them, they are the bane of my BG existence. The only sure way I have of dealing with them is summons. Anything else is just painful, they seem to have really good saving throws and their poison is quite deadly.
Aec'Letec fight, never succeeded this battle without loosing at least one char permanently. Even with 2 mages with magic dispel ^^, skeletons, monsters summon wands.
I will try the "otiluke's resilient sphere" tactic next game ;D
If we're talking only BG1, then I always dreaded the fight with the merc group outside of Daveorn's mines. Unless you spent a lot of time trudging about leveling up and getting loot than this was a very difficult fight.
... and choke to death on the poison cloud of **doom**. I like to call it, the gas chamber strategy. But now that their fixing bugs and such in EE, they may make it so the mindflayers can open the doors... and then I'll be **doomed** again.
Here are my solutions to some common problems in list form. Sorry it's long. If you already know how to beat the opponent, skip to the next item in the list.
1. Mind Flayers + Umber Hulks - Chaotic Command, 5th level Cleric spell. Grants immunity to the annoying mind-effecting magic these opponents use. Intelligence drain still kills you, however.
2. Aec'Lectec: Start with cultist lady. Have archers with acid arrows ready. First enter the basement so that the cultist lady attacks you. Fire on the cultist lady with a round of arrows, then leave the basement quickly before Aec's evil gaze hits your party (you may need to repeat this once). If you have the right party mix and strong arrows, you kill the cultist lady without Aec seeing you.
To take care of male cultists, use a hide in shadows rogue (or someone else with many invisibility potions) to sneak into the basement. Hedge the edges of the map. You will avoid being seen by Aec but can see and fire on his cultists with missile attacks (acid arrow, bolt of lightning). Each time you kill a cultist, hide in shadows (or drink an invisibility potion) and move on. Never fire on a cultist if Aec is visible on your screen. It's okay to be seen by a cultist - they cannot attack! Once a cultist is dead, hide in shadows and target the next one.
Buffs for Aec - Freedom of Movement (hugely important as it grants immunity to his paralyzing gaze). This buff can be obtained from potions or the cleric spell. Keep Pro Magic or Dispel Magic scrolls handy for after the battle in case someone has been death gazed.
3. Dragons - Traps. Even non-epic traps are lethal, so surround a dragon with them before the battle. If you summon monsters (aeriel servant, elemental) keep them out of reach of the Dragon's vision until the battle begins (otherwise expect a Death Spell). Surround the Dragon with melee characters before the battle begins so as to get as many hits as possible when the conflict starts. You can 'ambush' Fikraag and the Shadow Dragon. Have a breach spell (or comparable equivalent) ready to cast on the Dragon instantly, because he will activate a stoneskin.
For all dragons, buffing = Protection from Evil, Haste, Chaotic Commands, Remove Fear, Strength Potion (if applicable), Draw Upon Holy Might (if applicable), Kai/Called Shot/Berserker Rage (and other activated abilities. Improved Invisibility as necessary, but only as the final step since this prevents other buffs.
For Fikraag, Protection from Fire (Druid/Cleric spell) along with fire resistance items makes his breath weapon negligible. The Shadow Dragon's Breath is harder to deal with, but the Shadow Dragon itself is easier to kill.
4. Lichs (Regular) - Traps. Bait them into following you. When a Lich starts casting, leave the room. This wastes the Lich's spell. The Lich will then follow you - have traps ready when it does. Every time a Lich casts a spell, just leave the room. Wait for him to follow, get in a few attacks, and leave as he begins casting again. Improved Invisibility should prevent you from being targeted by some of the Lich's more annoying spells - though I'm not sure if this works. Protection form Evil and True Sight are useful spells to cast in advance, as Lich's often cast Gate and illusion spells.
5. Sarevok battle: Party placement is key. I actually get the best results when I split my party. Have your melee titans way at the front, almost near the tip of the Baldur's Gate symbol. Have the other characters equipped with the best melee weapons and in the far right of the map (but not into the Hook horror spawn zone). When Semaj spawns, your titans will attack him immediately. Because your party is split, his AOE spells will only hit 2 of your characters, not all 6. Angelo's fire arrows will also only hit these two characters. If you give them fire resistance potions/items in advance, they'll be quite safe. The far-away characters can contribute missile attacks to these conflicts. You can usually kite Sarevok or delay him with summons until Angelo + Semaj are dead. Who cares about Tazok, he sucks and is nothing more than a puppet.
6. Beholders - I use the Shield of Balduran (available from that dumb bonus merchant in the Adventurer's market). Failing that, I constantly summon Aeriel Servants and Fire Elementals to engage the Beholders. I never send in more than one at a time, as spells like charm and Death Spell can take care of a horde of summons quickly.
7. The Chess Board - Real cheesy surefire strategy for this battle. First, have every character drink one of those lightning resistance potions (Insulation or Invulnerability, I think) - this is essential. Have one character drink a potion of invisibility. Run across the chessboard, triggering lightning bolts. Let these bolts hit + kill the enemies including the King - the lightning bolts will do nothing to your characters, and your invisible character cannot be hit because he cannot be seen.
There is also a less cheesy strategy. Again, drink the lightning resistance potions. Next cast remove fear (for the Queen's spell) - essential. Have one character hedge the outside rim of the visual field. Attract one pawn at a time. Kill the pawn with arrows (if you want) or wait for him to arrive and turn into a Queen and then do the same thing (worth MUCH MORE XP). Do this until all pawns are dead. Next, you can start the battle. If you have multiple characters with fire wands, fire them all off at once before charging the King. If you're a high DPS party, you can kill him before his allies get a spell off...If you're not, you'll have to target the Bishops and Rooks and then move to the King. Watch out for the Bishop's Flamestrike and the Rooks arrows. The Knights are easily dodged in comparison.
9. Mages - Some strategies work for all mages. One is to enter the combat area, wait for them to cast, then leave. You can this with one character at a time to reduce risk. This will exhaust some of their spells. If you have an Inquisitor, use the 'very OP' Dispel Magic spell on them to remove their powerful protection buffs. An inquisitor's Dispel Magic is strong enough to remove even stoneskin. Also, try the "send in a summoned monsters one at a time" technique to exhaust more spells. Just make sure you keep your party out of sight and the summoned monsters in sight of the enemy. Aeriel Servants, Fire elementals and Skeletons are useful here. Failing that, fire magical arrows (with fire or acid mods). These penetrate stoneskin with elemental damage and can interrupt mage spells as a result. If you have a thief of any kind who can backstab, hide in shadows (or an invisibility potion) will let you open a battle with a backstab - though this is a bad idea if the mage starts battle with a stoneskin. If a mage starts casting when you're invisible, run away as fast as possible: he's casting a detection spell.
Kangaxx. Never have, never will. Even when I used that semi cheat ( You know the one, where if the character starts out as friendly to you you can just keep talking to it and attacking at the same time) I still couldn't beat him.
Kangaxx. Never have, never will. Even when I used that semi cheat ( You know the one, where if the character starts out as friendly to you you can just keep talking to it and attacking at the same time) I still couldn't beat him.
Easiest way to beat him that I've found is to sunray (either with the daystar sword you get in the hidden crypts in the docks or with a memorised spell. You can time it so it hits him when he first appears.
When he becomes his second form, what I normally do is make sure I cast spell immunity: abjuration on myself (i'm normally a mage) as well as the stoneskin I already had, and I go as close as I can go to the second form of Kanglaxx. He always uses imprisonment on the closest person, so as long as you are immune thanks to spell immunity you are all good (Minsc would work too with berserk going, but may not last very long). Then I have everyone either attack him from a distance or with a long reaching weapon. Eventually he will die. Just be careful that you (or whoever is immune) is always the closest person to him.
Kangaxx....never beat him without cheese or cheating.....
not sure what you consider cheese, but any of the following should do the trick scroll of protection again magic, protection again undead (not sure if spell names are correct) if you have a high level berserker or monk, you shouldn't have any issues at all spell, protection of school of magic (forgot the school for imprison/maze)
My worst: Lamalha, Maneira, Telka and Zeela - two thieves and two clerics just outside the exit to Nashkel Mines. I usually try them once or twice, but I almost always have to go around and come back to them when I'm more buffed.
Still getting used to SCS battles in both games. That said, the Beholder hive in the Underdark I've never, ever mastered. I just don't see any means of effectively battling them without having to use raise deads and freedom's and stone to flesh spells.
@levelworm Ugh... I hate that mage. It's so early in the game to fight such a high level spell caster. Especially if you are taking another mage or... well anything really. The best way to do it is to make sure a lot of the guards are around to back you up. Even then it can still be a challenge though.
For me... I've played the game well over 30 times, and I'd have to say the thing that gives me the most problems are the blasted mind flayers in BG2. I finally came up with a strategy a year or so back that made it a lot easier to take them on, which was have a mage with the staff of the archmagi making him invisible, throw a charge from the wand of cloudkill into the room, and shut the door. Mindflayers are too stupid to open doors, and choke to death on the poison cloud of doom. I like to call it, the gas chamber strategy. But now that their fixing bugs and such in EE, they may make it so the mindflayers can open the doors... and then I'll be doomed again.
I find that lining the back wall of a chamber, and throwing a guy with boots of speed and big sword in the middle, tends to get the mind flayers perplexed since they chase the nearest target. Just tell the archers to do a free for all, and have the swordsman dodge the mind flayers.
Never mastered: Draconis, Aec'Letec.
@Nine, there is this nice shield you can buy at Waukeen's Promenade called Balduran's Shield, it makes the bearer immune to all attacks from Beholders and Gauths.
I cannot kill the demon thing in TOTSC. At all. It's the most ridiculous fight I've seen in BG. Never played ascension - I think when I finished TOB, I was mostly just ready for it to be done, you know? Not a knock on the game - it just turned out to be 'enough' at that point.
Firkraag - I have NOT mastered. I cheese-killed him with Feeblemind and Quivering Palm. Couldn't believe it actually worked! Yay us. Big sword for Keldorn.
Just a quick tip for the demon folks: To block his ghoulifying gaze all you need is protection from petrification/potion of mirrored eyes, the same as all the basilisk fights
Still getting used to SCS battles in both games. That said, the Beholder hive in the Underdark I've never, ever mastered. I just don't see any means of effectively battling them without having to use raise deads and freedom's and stone to flesh spells.
The mage in front of the Friendly Arm Inn definitely, but I like it because it keeps you on your feet. It also makes for a good use of the potion of speed Imoen has. Considering how substantially difficult he is relative to your level than the other assassins you face, he stands out.
Yeah, the mage can be quite challenging if you are low level. Beat some wolves in the woods and he will not be such a threat(or let the guards beat him up and finish him). Protection from magic weapons, Haste and a couple wands of breach will make Demogorgon not that hard.
Just a quick tip for the demon folks: To block his ghoulifying gaze all you need is protection from petrification/potion of mirrored eyes, the same as all the basilisk fights
Comments
On the other hand, i assume few people played made it overall hehehe. That remains - to me - the very very harder fight in whole Baldur's Gate serie, mods assumed.
@lansounet And about that dog stew, Korgan/Jan never let me do that trick, how could they ate it all is beyond my comprehension O_o
always ended up pulling him and have one guy run in circles while the others pin him with arrows
crazy as it may sound: I wasn´t puzzled by Tazoks return in BG2 -.- ( why should he be dead? )
Thank you BG2 for the Spoiler
Even with 2 mages with magic dispel ^^, skeletons, monsters summon wands.
I will try the "otiluke's resilient sphere" tactic next game ;D
1. Mind Flayers + Umber Hulks - Chaotic Command, 5th level Cleric spell. Grants immunity to the annoying mind-effecting magic these opponents use. Intelligence drain still kills you, however.
2. Aec'Lectec: Start with cultist lady. Have archers with acid arrows ready. First enter the basement so that the cultist lady attacks you. Fire on the cultist lady with a round of arrows, then leave the basement quickly before Aec's evil gaze hits your party (you may need to repeat this once). If you have the right party mix and strong arrows, you kill the cultist lady without Aec seeing you.
To take care of male cultists, use a hide in shadows rogue (or someone else with many invisibility potions) to sneak into the basement. Hedge the edges of the map. You will avoid being seen by Aec but can see and fire on his cultists with missile attacks (acid arrow, bolt of lightning). Each time you kill a cultist, hide in shadows (or drink an invisibility potion) and move on. Never fire on a cultist if Aec is visible on your screen. It's okay to be seen by a cultist - they cannot attack! Once a cultist is dead, hide in shadows and target the next one.
Buffs for Aec - Freedom of Movement (hugely important as it grants immunity to his paralyzing gaze). This buff can be obtained from potions or the cleric spell. Keep Pro Magic or Dispel Magic scrolls handy for after the battle in case someone has been death gazed.
3. Dragons - Traps. Even non-epic traps are lethal, so surround a dragon with them before the battle. If you summon monsters (aeriel servant, elemental) keep them out of reach of the Dragon's vision until the battle begins (otherwise expect a Death Spell). Surround the Dragon with melee characters before the battle begins so as to get as many hits as possible when the conflict starts. You can 'ambush' Fikraag and the Shadow Dragon. Have a breach spell (or comparable equivalent) ready to cast on the Dragon instantly, because he will activate a stoneskin.
For all dragons, buffing = Protection from Evil, Haste, Chaotic Commands, Remove Fear, Strength Potion (if applicable), Draw Upon Holy Might (if applicable), Kai/Called Shot/Berserker Rage (and other activated abilities. Improved Invisibility as necessary, but only as the final step since this prevents other buffs.
For Fikraag, Protection from Fire (Druid/Cleric spell) along with fire resistance items makes his breath weapon negligible. The Shadow Dragon's Breath is harder to deal with, but the Shadow Dragon itself is easier to kill.
4. Lichs (Regular) - Traps. Bait them into following you. When a Lich starts casting, leave the room. This wastes the Lich's spell. The Lich will then follow you - have traps ready when it does. Every time a Lich casts a spell, just leave the room. Wait for him to follow, get in a few attacks, and leave as he begins casting again. Improved Invisibility should prevent you from being targeted by some of the Lich's more annoying spells - though I'm not sure if this works. Protection form Evil and True Sight are useful spells to cast in advance, as Lich's often cast Gate and illusion spells.
5. Sarevok battle: Party placement is key. I actually get the best results when I split my party. Have your melee titans way at the front, almost near the tip of the Baldur's Gate symbol. Have the other characters equipped with the best melee weapons and in the far right of the map (but not into the Hook horror spawn zone). When Semaj spawns, your titans will attack him immediately. Because your party is split, his AOE spells will only hit 2 of your characters, not all 6. Angelo's fire arrows will also only hit these two characters. If you give them fire resistance potions/items in advance, they'll be quite safe. The far-away characters can contribute missile attacks to these conflicts. You can usually kite Sarevok or delay him with summons until Angelo + Semaj are dead. Who cares about Tazok, he sucks and is nothing more than a puppet.
6. Beholders - I use the Shield of Balduran (available from that dumb bonus merchant in the Adventurer's market). Failing that, I constantly summon Aeriel Servants and Fire Elementals to engage the Beholders. I never send in more than one at a time, as spells like charm and Death Spell can take care of a horde of summons quickly.
7. The Chess Board - Real cheesy surefire strategy for this battle. First, have every character drink one of those lightning resistance potions (Insulation or Invulnerability, I think) - this is essential. Have one character drink a potion of invisibility. Run across the chessboard, triggering lightning bolts. Let these bolts hit + kill the enemies including the King - the lightning bolts will do nothing to your characters, and your invisible character cannot be hit because he cannot be seen.
There is also a less cheesy strategy. Again, drink the lightning resistance potions. Next cast remove fear (for the Queen's spell) - essential. Have one character hedge the outside rim of the visual field. Attract one pawn at a time. Kill the pawn with arrows (if you want) or wait for him to arrive and turn into a Queen and then do the same thing (worth MUCH MORE XP). Do this until all pawns are dead. Next, you can start the battle. If you have multiple characters with fire wands, fire them all off at once before charging the King. If you're a high DPS party, you can kill him before his allies get a spell off...If you're not, you'll have to target the Bishops and Rooks and then move to the King. Watch out for the Bishop's Flamestrike and the Rooks arrows. The Knights are easily dodged in comparison.
9. Mages - Some strategies work for all mages. One is to enter the combat area, wait for them to cast, then leave. You can this with one character at a time to reduce risk. This will exhaust some of their spells. If you have an Inquisitor, use the 'very OP' Dispel Magic spell on them to remove their powerful protection buffs. An inquisitor's Dispel Magic is strong enough to remove even stoneskin. Also, try the "send in a summoned monsters one at a time" technique to exhaust more spells. Just make sure you keep your party out of sight and the summoned monsters in sight of the enemy. Aeriel Servants, Fire elementals and Skeletons are useful here. Failing that, fire magical arrows (with fire or acid mods). These penetrate stoneskin with elemental damage and can interrupt mage spells as a result. If you have a thief of any kind who can backstab, hide in shadows (or an invisibility potion) will let you open a battle with a backstab - though this is a bad idea if the mage starts battle with a stoneskin. If a mage starts casting when you're invisible, run away as fast as possible: he's casting a detection spell.
Even when I used that semi cheat ( You know the one, where if the character starts out as friendly to you you can just keep talking to it and attacking at the same time) I still couldn't beat him.
When he becomes his second form, what I normally do is make sure I cast spell immunity: abjuration on myself (i'm normally a mage) as well as the stoneskin I already had, and I go as close as I can go to the second form of Kanglaxx. He always uses imprisonment on the closest person, so as long as you are immune thanks to spell immunity you are all good (Minsc would work too with berserk going, but may not last very long). Then I have everyone either attack him from a distance or with a long reaching weapon. Eventually he will die. Just be careful that you (or whoever is immune) is always the closest person to him.
scroll of protection again magic, protection again undead (not sure if spell names are correct)
if you have a high level berserker or monk, you shouldn't have any issues at all
spell, protection of school of magic (forgot the school for imprison/maze)
That said, the Beholder hive in the Underdark I've never, ever mastered. I just don't see any means of effectively battling them without having to use raise deads and freedom's and stone to flesh spells.
Often I just get frustrated and cheat *innocent*
Never mastered: Draconis, Aec'Letec.
@Nine, there is this nice shield you can buy at Waukeen's Promenade called Balduran's Shield, it makes the bearer immune to all attacks from Beholders and Gauths.
Firkraag - I have NOT mastered. I cheese-killed him with Feeblemind and Quivering Palm. Couldn't believe it actually worked! Yay us. Big sword for Keldorn.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-