Greater difficulty levels/More Challenge

Drayen

One thing that's bugged me in BG2 is how increased difficulty levels only increases damage. Playing the game on insane doesn't stop me from using my old part with 4x greater whirlwinds and offensive spin and melt amelissan down in 5 seconds... Plus, while the added damage is fun, it doesn't add a difficulty level thats too enjoyable, it just feels like you need to get around some BS. Here's some suggestions:

Make difficulty levels add more health to ennemies. This could probably be a quick, easy change. To compensate a bit, maybe lower the damage a bit on insane difficulty and make ennemies health pools 2x-3x larger, so a 10 health kobold would have 30 health, depending on difficulty of course... there are some moves that you don't even see because you kill the enemy so quickly (Mostly mages and cleric ennemies). Coupled with that, if possible, you could add some spell interruption chance reduction? I'm sure im not the only one who has liked long, hard fights like yaga-shura with the tougher mod installed.

One other interesting thing, but i guess that would be harder to implement, if you slide the difficulty meter up, maybe make it so certain ennemies only spawn on insane? Or better AI is used, etc..

I'm sure im not the only one who's bugged that people are soloing the game on insane with a single character allthe time, this game is made for parties, make a challenge so only a party can beat it !

Space_hamster

We need a heart of fury or ironman mode.

Drayen

Also, i'd like some more focus on the "boss battles", other than the obvious ones. Stuff like killing Mae'Var is just way too quick and easy, not even a challenge... irenicus in his dungeon is just faceroll. More health on them would help, maybe giving irenicus a shield that makes him immune until you kill all your clones, all things like that. Just make the more minor-end quest npcs more epic, without making them too epic compared to the final fights of course. The only potent "end quest" ennemies i see is Firkraag and the shadow dragon.

You could also add a "final battle" for the end of the underdark, where the alarm would actually go off as soon as the priestesses would die, and that you'd fight the drow army on your way out, with a miniboss waiting for you at the exit, making it feel like a real escape, unlike the "walk past everything" it is right now.

bill_zagoudis

we indeed need optional ways to increase the difficulty a brand new setting or buffing insane could work.

drakerd

Yes, increased difficulty would be great. I also agree that difficulty doesn't get increased by raising monster HP and DMG. To me, an increase in difficulty would be a few things:
Enable Friendly Fire
Spawn more monsters
Monsters target weak characters
Monsters target the same characters
Monsters use abilities on characters weak to specific attacks (charm on fighters)
Monster survival tactics, mages don't stand their like dopes
Devestating spell/ability combos (more combos the higher difficulty, such as enemy figher charges after player mage while enemy mage drops targeted dispel magic on player mage)

These are just a few things that I personally think could be done without too much effort. Of course, I'm not the one programming this or making the modifications so who am I to really say what would be easy or not!

wariisop

BG 3 does need to have better AI, this would be a great advancement and make lvling up more rewarding.

Zeckul

Have you tried aTweaks or Sword Coast Stratagems? These mods are extremely professional and create a much more challenging game without resorting to any cheese, especially SCS. This is perhaps the only case where I would say mods fulfill the request very well and probably better than what the dev team could come up with considering their time constraints.