Worried about Kensai / Mage.
AlcopopStar
Member Posts: 28
Hello Forum,
Me and my friend are going to be playing all of BG1 together (and BG2 when it come out).
He is planning to run a blackguard, and I was thinking about making a kensai / mage.
The problem here is that I have heard that especially in BG2 Kensai / Mages gets really absurdly powerful, and I really don't want to annoy my friend by dominating every combat.
Am I worrying about nothing or should I just run a mage?
Me and my friend are going to be playing all of BG1 together (and BG2 when it come out).
He is planning to run a blackguard, and I was thinking about making a kensai / mage.
The problem here is that I have heard that especially in BG2 Kensai / Mages gets really absurdly powerful, and I really don't want to annoy my friend by dominating every combat.
Am I worrying about nothing or should I just run a mage?
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Basically regular mages get really powerful at the end of bg2, What elevates kensi mages above them is that they are good in combat as well ass casting spells.
So you will be useful in pretty much any combat, but you won't be dominating combats until the end of bg2/start of ToB, where you would pretty much dominate them anyway if you played any sort of arcane caster.
If you're worried about dominating a co-op game, you may be better served with another class. Given that your friend is a pure class, maybe you should choose one as well - this makes power much more equal, as dual- and multi-class characters tend to be stronger than pures in general.
Same goes for the first levels after dual-classing to mage.
So what you will become at middle/end BG2 and ToB will simply compensate for this gap.
Once you manage to put your hands on a Shield Amulet things will get better, but still you will have to play the blitzer role most of the times.
PS. Anyway I would dual it at 9, if you don't know how to do it fast at lvl13.
We are talking about a powergaming class, so do it good or don't do it xD
But that very much depends on the strategy you are using.
For example, lots of players tend to quasi-solo some parts of the game, even when having a full group.
A player with a Thief CHARNAME will most likely leave the party behind and scout on his own in stealth, disposing of entire groups via backstabbing, traps and hit-and-run tactics. Or, in case of a Mage, scout alone/with a thief and fireball everyone from the distance. Again, while the rest of the group stands idle and waits. Another example would be the spell Sunfire, which scorches everything around you - so keep your allies afar.
I don't think this would be the case if 2 players are playing.
Another example might be not of a mage that casts destruction all around him, but specializes on control spells that instill confusion, horror, paralysis, sleep or other effects - not dealing damage, but preparing the enemies for the fighters for an easy kill.
Also depends on, what other NPCs you are going to have in the group (as you will need a healer and a thief)
He, as a Blackguard will pretty much dominate whole BG1 and large part of BG2. By the end of BG2->ToB, he will still be useful, just not as much as before.
Of course, that's purely from the perspective of theoretical power. Personal preference, play style, and various other factors also play a role for most people.
if u want less powerfull dual you can go for thief/ilusionist gnome for trap disarming and spells
Due to the screwed up caster level, Blackguards do eventually become quite powerful, since they're still basically a single class F/C with slightly weaker spell-capacity (they can pull the same 85% DR trick fighter clerics and Barbarians can), as well as self-buff with DUHM to 25 str, and they're already a warrior type so it's like having a permanently active holy power), and poison weapon and that aura as well.
so there is no difference there but fighter/mage will do that easily
A Kensai is actually weaker overall for being mixed with mage since their extra defenses and aoe are largely wasted...you could've used a plain fighter or Zerker and actually come out stronger (the kensai doesn't really shine unless it stays a single class), while a mage takes a bit longer to reach full power...and since most encounters can be easily blasted through via wands, only a tiny handful of enemies really justify having stronger physical presence (Though the Crimson Dart, later Firetooth (Dagger) can easily handle most magic resistant/immune enemy encounters, especially combined with a str belt or high natural str, generic non-magical darts will rip magic golems apart in like 2 rounds).
My typical way of handling late game fights is just making simulacrums (which unlike PI, that I refuse to use, actually works correctly) while I pelt the enemy with darts or wand shots, until I'm out of copies, then start on using my spells, if anything is left (assuming of course the battle in question requires more then 1 or 2 wand blasts).
And I don't know what you mean by "little power" - +4 to hit/damage is quite a lot considering weapons have an average damage of what, 20 at *best* (FoA+5)?
Also, what do you mean by "their AoE is wasted"? What kind of AoE do Kensais get? Do you mean the mage AoE? Why is that wasted? Isn't that exactly what you want from mage spells, AoE?
I suppose if the game is too easy (low difficulty and few mods), then it doesn't really matter. But once enemies actually start being able to take a pounding, physical (melee) damage is king. Nothing deals damage as consistently and as highly as melee at end game, unless it's large amounts of enemies. And nothing deals melee damage as consistently and with as much resilience and flexibility as a Kensai->Mage.
If you disagree, I'd like to hear why.
the most powerfull kensaimage in bg1 is kensai7? that means +2 dmg so it is equal to berserker with rage?
barbarian/mage with rage +4 str and conc OMG that would tank and deal so much damage it is not even funny