I think that it's important that you feel satisfied that you are playing the game you enjoy. Someone might enjoy lots of cheese and winning more easily. I, and I'm sure some others, would want to feel that the game is more realistic, that it is reproducing the fantasy world (with all its difficulties) that we wish to be experiencing. If the atmosphere doesn't come close to what we find believable in the world that we are imagining, then it will start to become stale and some of us will no longer find the experience that we appreciate.
Using wands isn't cheese... they're consumables! If you use them now you won't be able to use them later when you might need them.
Except for one detail: if you sell an empty wand to a shopkeeper and then buy it back, it will be fully charged again. Granted, it'll cost a few thousand gold pieces, but on the later stages of the game, you pretty much always have gold to spare.
Except for one detail: if you sell an empty wand to a shopkeeper and then buy it back, it will be fully charged again. Granted, it'll cost a few thousand gold pieces, but on the later stages of the game, you pretty much always have gold to spare.
I'm pointing fun at the fact that people tend to hoard consumables on the basis that they "might need it later".
I normally don't use the wands, because I find it more fun to self-limit by casting spells only. I will sometimes also avoid casting spell scrolls from slots (i.e., use only memorized spells). And further, I sometimes have specialist mages cast only the spells available from their chosen school.
I will however sometimes allow a pure class bard to use wands and spell scrolls from quickslots. Reason being that Rogues have relatively poor THAC0, APR, and HP for melee. And because a Bard's talents are spread rather thin, they almost need to make use of wands and scrolls to be fun for me. Obviously, YMMV!
But, that said, depending on the type of game I'm playing I might rely heavily on wands. For example, in the current random generated no-reload contest I have no qualms about using wands.
I tend to be a hoarder of wands and scrolls. But, if the battle really gets out of hand, thay have sometimes saved the day. I guess that's what I was saving them for.
Which wands do people usually use? The wands that I use frequently are wands of fire, lightning, summoning, in that order. I dont really like the frost wand because it tends to turn the enemy into popsicle. Wands of sleep and paralyzation usually dont work for me. In SoA and ToB, I sometimes use the spellstriking/cursing wands.
At least in my games, I have found that Wands of Paralyzation can be nearly game-breakingly powerful. In my experience they do work well. So you can basically stun many an opponent, provided you have a good supply of such charged wands. Maybe I've just gotten lucky dice, though. (Note: I would think that in BG2 many high level opponents will routinely save against it.)
Fireballing enemies from outside of their field of perception provides an easy way to decimate enemies.
Wands of Sleep and Horror can be powerful too, at least for early mobs, but you usually don't need them.
The Wand of Polymoprhing seems awesome, although I admit that if I ever tried using it year ago I no longer remember how well it works.
Oh, and a Wand of Frost is great for Doom Guards (eg, the two protecting the natural bridge to Durlag's). IIRC, it also works for Helmed Horrors. Basically, any creature that either has no loot drop, or that you don't care about the loot drop for, can be 'iced'.
Wand of paralysation is very powerful. It is very difficult to save against, and you can paralyse the most powerful foes like Aec'letec, Demon Knight, Greater Wolfwere etc. with some luck, making the battle pretty much over.
I hate the wand of lightning, it usually hurts the party members as well. Wand of fire is the most versatile, you can blast through a group of weak enemies with its fireball, or concentrate fire on a single, tough enemy via Scorcher, doing massive damage. Scorcher damage ticks twice and you can spread the pain by walking and putting enemies in the line of fire. Wand of summoning is very useful to delay a powerful enemy a few rounds, all summon monster spells have long casting times and very short durations, and they conjure up 1-2 weak critters. Wand does it better.
Wand of the Heavens do heavy damage too, and Rasaad can use it!
So with wands, and sometimes scrolls, an arcane caster like a Blade, who is not a full fledged mage can at times make a significant difference in a party.
Re: the Wand of Lightning, I've been meaning to try out a character who specializes in Lightning magics, and see if I can equip enough front-line characters in the party to be immune from electrical damage. Maybe a Priest of Talos dualed to Mage as the PC. I might make it a custom party, perhaps a trio featuring also a Fighter/Druid who can Call Lightning. Maybe also a Thief/Mage. But anyway, they would unleash a storm of lighting at every opportunity, and that would involve using lightning wands.
I personally believe that the inclusion of wands and scrolls is an attempt to increase the utilization of wizards during every day combat. In my play throughs, I hoard these consumables "Just in case" and then end up having an inventory full of wands and scrolls through most of the game. They are meant to be used. Admittedly, intelligent application of these items is and important component, but if the battle is tough and could be made easier by that wand of fear, scare the C#@P out of your enemy.
I personally believe that the inclusion of wands and scrolls is an attempt to increase the utilization of wizards during every day combat. In my play throughs, I hoard these consumables "Just in case" and then end up having an inventory full of wands and scrolls through most of the game. They are meant to be used. Admittedly, intelligent application of these items is and important component, but if the battle is tough and could be made easier by that wand of fear, scare the C#@P out of your enemy.
I used to hoard potions and wands, but then I saw that "Newes thing you learned about BG seriess" thread, adn one of them was "I am way to conservitive with wands and potions". So then I started, actually using them, and everything became much easier.
I love the wand of lightning. I once activated a lightning bolt trap inside a small room. Luckily, they all flew out into another room and destroyed the entire group of umber hulks (SoA temple district, sewer, the place you rescue Haer'Dalis). I laughed so hard after that.
The wand of lightning has 6 bolts per use. If use correctly, it can be more effective than the wand of fire. However, it's double edge since it may bounce back to your party members.
It's only cheese if you use the recharge glitch. 2 ed wands can't be recharged (barring some obscure splat book that grants the ability to do so..which is the only way in 3rd edition to recharge them as well).
Wands are meant to be spammed as often as it is efficient to do so since they allow an otherwise helpless mage to grossly exceed their casting capacity (their cost and relative rarity is their balancing factor...just do the right thing and DO NOT RECHARGE them). In war settings, since the majority of participants are lvl 1 or even lvl 0, they supply wands of fire, lightning, cloudkill, summoning and the like to the scrub mages and have them go to town on the enemy as artillery. And wands for healing or buffing to the scrub clerics to act as field doctors.
This also allows higher level mages to focus their slots more on utility, counter-mage, or buff/debuff spells, instead of DD spells which are a blatant waste of a slot when you have wands that can do just as well and contain a months worth of fire-power.
I love the wand of lightning. I once activated a lightning bolt trap inside a small room. Luckily, they all flew out into another room and destroyed the entire group of umber hulks (SoA temple district, sewer, the place you rescue Haer'Dalis). I laughed so hard after that.
The wand of lightning has 6 bolts per use. If use correctly, it can be more effective than the wand of fire. However, it's double edge since it may bounce back to your party members.
Using the wand of Lightning is definitely an art form.
@Fubby, that was my post . I'm glad it changed some play-styles. Yes...I use potions and wands like mad now. Especially since I've started no reloads and occasional minimum reloads (and just recently SCS).
A wand of lighting just kept me from getting any of my three party members killed in a no-reload game at the gnoll stronghold and the map just north of it. I only have a trio to work with until chapter 5, and you can bet your bippy that I will be using wands liberally in this game.
I love the wand of lightning. I once activated a lightning bolt trap inside a small room. Luckily, they all flew out into another room and destroyed the entire group of umber hulks (SoA temple district, sewer, the place you rescue Haer'Dalis). I laughed so hard after that.
The wand of lightning has 6 bolts per use. If use correctly, it can be more effective than the wand of fire. However, it's double edge since it may bounce back to your party members.
Using the wand of Lightning is definitely an art form.
It's manageable if you have the boot of speed and liberal pressing of the pause button.
Comments
I'm also a hoarder, which makes me the butt of the joke as well.
I will however sometimes allow a pure class bard to use wands and spell scrolls from quickslots. Reason being that Rogues have relatively poor THAC0, APR, and HP for melee. And because a Bard's talents are spread rather thin, they almost need to make use of wands and scrolls to be fun for me. Obviously, YMMV!
But, that said, depending on the type of game I'm playing I might rely heavily on wands. For example, in the current random generated no-reload contest I have no qualms about using wands.
At least in my games, I have found that Wands of Paralyzation can be nearly game-breakingly powerful. In my experience they do work well. So you can basically stun many an opponent, provided you have a good supply of such charged wands. Maybe I've just gotten lucky dice, though. (Note: I would think that in BG2 many high level opponents will routinely save against it.)
Fireballing enemies from outside of their field of perception provides an easy way to decimate enemies.
Wands of Sleep and Horror can be powerful too, at least for early mobs, but you usually don't need them.
The Wand of Polymoprhing seems awesome, although I admit that if I ever tried using it year ago I no longer remember how well it works.
Oh, and a Wand of Frost is great for Doom Guards (eg, the two protecting the natural bridge to Durlag's). IIRC, it also works for Helmed Horrors. Basically, any creature that either has no loot drop, or that you don't care about the loot drop for, can be 'iced'.
I hate the wand of lightning, it usually hurts the party members as well. Wand of fire is the most versatile, you can blast through a group of weak enemies with its fireball, or concentrate fire on a single, tough enemy via Scorcher, doing massive damage. Scorcher damage ticks twice and you can spread the pain by walking and putting enemies in the line of fire. Wand of summoning is very useful to delay a powerful enemy a few rounds, all summon monster spells have long casting times and very short durations, and they conjure up 1-2 weak critters. Wand does it better.
Wand of the Heavens do heavy damage too, and Rasaad can use it!
The wand of lightning has 6 bolts per use. If use correctly, it can be more effective than the wand of fire. However, it's double edge since it may bounce back to your party members.
Wands are meant to be spammed as often as it is efficient to do so since they allow an otherwise helpless mage to grossly exceed their casting capacity (their cost and relative rarity is their balancing factor...just do the right thing and DO NOT RECHARGE them). In war settings, since the majority of participants are lvl 1 or even lvl 0, they supply wands of fire, lightning, cloudkill, summoning and the like to the scrub mages and have them go to town on the enemy as artillery. And wands for healing or buffing to the scrub clerics to act as field doctors.
This also allows higher level mages to focus their slots more on utility, counter-mage, or buff/debuff spells, instead of DD spells which are a blatant waste of a slot when you have wands that can do just as well and contain a months worth of fire-power.