Best BG2 Stronghold

Montresor_SP

Which is your favorite stronghold in BG2? Do you prefer lording it over your own keep, helping those who seek your advice in the temple, running a thieves' guild, or maybe living the quiet life in the druid grove?

SionIV

The bard stronghold without question. It's the only place in the game where you're required to have spesific stats on your character to get better rewards (Cha,Int). The quests are lovely and lots of fun, it's tricky to get the best play and reward at the end. It's also very long (The longest stronghold in the game, longer than De'arnise) and you'll be at it from the start of your journey into the bridge district and to the end after underdark.

CoM_Solaufein

I like having my own castle.

elminster

It will be interesting to see how the poll turns out compared to this http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/18560/the-best-stronghold-in-bg2/p1

Personally I have to go with the bard this time. No more feeling sorry for the druid stronghold

Wisp

The Sphere, because making gear out of apprentices is great fun!

Anduin

The Sphere because you get apprentices...

Maybe we could train one of them up to carry out some mummification... This game needs more mummies...

sarevok57

i like the cleric ones because you can get some great cleric items

SCARY_WIZARD

The de'Arnise Keep, because every time I hear Grey DeLisle put on anything remotely like a sad voice, I turn into putty and do things in my game that may or may not be counter-productive to other things in my game.

JuliusBorisov

This is, in my opinion, the most fun stronghold in the game. Picking the actors and helping with the problems in making the play can be entertaining and rewarding.

You can actually be in a play!

It's a beautifully weird and funny 'Let's put on a show!' storyline in the middle of your high-stakes epic dark fantasy adventure. What else can bring the same experience?

And when you have this stronghold, it means that you're a bard - one of the greatest characters to enjoy the game.

TaylorTwerk

I like bard then druid. Hate the thief one so much. Jesus christ maever I'm in the underdark I don't got no time to pay my dues. Sadly I usually roll a thief or multi/dualed thief.

MetaSieg

DeArnise Keep. My own castle? Sign me up.

Vishnu

I just realized that I haven't tried half of those. I removed the restrictions in my current gameplay, so I'll see.

As many others, I also like having my own castle.

Montresor_SP

For my own part, I prefer the DeArnise keep for the questline. But the Bard stronghold is a close second.

Calmar

Having an own castle is definitely one of the most exciting things to me in a roleplaying game.

Teh castel is best! ;D

Drugar

d'Arnise keep because it's a huge castle that you can upgrade a bit, while discussing the rights of the peasantry and eventually fending off an army from one of the biggest assbutts in the game. It felt well deserved after cleansing it from trolls and having Nalia around really enhanced the feel I got from it.

The Bard one is a close second because it's really awesome, the fact that your stats matter is very good (the game really suffers from a general lack of this) and it's quests/dilemma's are quite realistic. However, it doesn't feel as important as the keep. I could not justify running back to the city while adventuring just to make a casting judgement call.

For worst I'd nominate the Paladin stronghold. It doesn't measure up to the rest in the slightest. You get a giant castle, an entire druid's grove or a ranger's hideout, along with authority of the surrounding lands. Or a large thieves guild or interplanar travelling device with minions to do your bidding. Or, for paladins, a bedroom. Actually, not even a bedroom, I never found it.
I know paladins shouldn't care about material wealth but daaaaang. Not even the quests were interesting, stopping a monster army was small-fry combat (more like a band instead of an army) and you were going to kill Firkraag anyway (or already did, most of the time) so that was a moot quest as well. It's a shame, because it's my favorite class.

Calmar

Drugar said:

d'Arnise keep because it's a huge castle that you can upgrade a bit, while discussing the rights of the peasantry and eventually fending off an army from one of the biggest assbutts in the game. It felt well deserved after cleansing it from trolls and having Nalia around really enhanced the feel I got from it.

The Bard one is a close second because it's really awesome, the fact that your stats matter is very good (the game really suffers from a general lack of this) and it's quests/dilemma's are quite realistic. However, it doesn't feel as important as the keep. I could not justify running back to the city while adventuring just to make a casting judgement call.

For worst I'd nominate the Paladin stronghold. It doesn't measure up to the rest in the slightest. You get a giant castle, an entire druid's grove or a ranger's hideout, along with authority of the surrounding lands. Or a large thieves guild or interplanar travelling device with minions to do your bidding. Or, for paladins, a bedroom. Actually, not even a bedroom, I never found it.
I know paladins shouldn't care about material wealth but daaaaang. Not even the quests were interesting, stopping a monster army was small-fry combat (more like a band instead of an army) and you were going to kill Firkraag anyway (or already did, most of the time) so that was a moot quest as well. It's a shame, because it's my favorite class.

Thats a splendid summary. A friend of mine tried to use magic to lure one of the paladins of the order away so that he at least could have his *own* bedroom.

Thrasymachus

The Bard's Theatre is certainly the most entertaining.

2nd place goes to the Planar Sphere, which also is entertaining (especially the graduation ceremony) and exotic.

The Keep is decent, has a longish storyline, but feels a little prosaic to me (compared to the theatre and sphere).

The Druid's grove is solid, but the quests are limited compared to the theatre, sphere, and keep. Likewise for the ranger's cabin.

The cleric's temples, the thief's guild, and the paladin's bedroom are the least interesting IMO.

Stargazer5781

If I remember right the thieves' guild is the biggest moneymaker of all the strongholds. But that doesn't make it the most fun.

elminster

Stargazer5781 said:

If I remember right the thieves' guild is the biggest moneymaker of all the strongholds. But that doesn't make it the most fun.

I don't know. I think the bard makes a fair bit. Though with the bard you do have to invest in order to make the good amounts of money.

Baxyratty

i loved the theives guild simply because i love being a criminal mastermind

TheElf

Talos' stronghold followed by the theater were my faves. Maybe not the 'best' but in a game without many fun evil options I liked the change of pace.

kamuizin

The best will be new BG strongholds in new quests (for monk, blackguard, sorcerer if possible to separate from wizard stronghold and barbarian).

Xar105

i like both strongholds (for warrior and for mage). Warrior stronghold " YEA MY OWN CASTLE !", Mage stronghold " student- ehm master, what we can do for you ? " , me- make for me some good stuff and you will past the exam or you will die :P ", student- o0.

HeroicSpur

All of the strongholds are very poor in the context of the game, the apparent lack of depth is brought into even sharper contrast by the quality of some of the game's other quests.

While the De'Arnise hold is clearly highly regarded in this poll, I found it to be distinctly disappointing. You get a castle (a castle!), and what do you do with it? Make about three decisions, fight a small battle or two, then collect 500gp a week. Compared to what ruling a castle could have been, it's incredibly anti-climatic.

The Planar Sphere had almost nothing mage-like to it. You get some items, but it's more rewarding to try and keep the apprentices alive. What bothered me the most, is that while they're your apprentices, there's absolutely nothing you teach them, or help them with. There could be excellent uses for CHA, INT, and specially WIS here.

The one exception to this is, in my opinion, is the Bard stronghold. There's a lot going on, there's a lot of choices to make, and it's overall a decent RP experience. That's not to say it doesn't have its weaknesses though, as others have mentioned above.

kamuizin

The strongholds are really poor explored, NWN2 crossroad keep is a lot more complex than De'arnise Hold.

karl_maulder

Although i havn't done all stronghold quests(mage, ranger, cleric and thief springs to mind), the Paladin felt specially anticlimatic. The De'Arnise keep isn't that special IMO(even though it's my most played), didn't particularly like the druid one either. However the bard stronghold was very funny. So i guess i'll nominate it.

BelgarathMTH

{{singing}} There's no business like show business, like no business I know!! {{end singing}}

It's the musical theatrical life for me! In a world as filled with horrors as are Faerun and Amn, a ritzy tavern and inn with nightly stage performances are the best refuge of all of humankind from their worries! Come to my musical theater in Amn! We offer the complete experience, and an escape from all the drudgery, sickness, and monstrous death around us! We have permanent cold magic coming through a state-of-the-art duct system, keeping us comfortably cool from the brutal Amnish heat! We have luxurious inn suites, where you can rest in blissful sleep on the finest satin silks. Our bar serves the best iced spirits in all of Amn and beyond! We serve the best gourmet food on the entire Sword Coast!

Every night, our players and musicians give you the finest in theatrical, choral, and instrumental musical performance. You will be dazzled and amazed! You'll never want to leave! Our staff will serve your every pleasure and whim.

You'll think you're in Heaven! (forjustanominalgoldfeepernightallrightsreservedsomerestrictionsapplyfooddrinksandstageticketssoldseperately.)