What party for BG2?

Thrasymachus

I am getting close to finishing up my current run of BGEE with a blade PC (neutral half-elf, with proficiencies in scimitars, daggers, and 2-W fighting). Imoen (dual-classed to mage once she was a level 7 thief, to promote continuity with BG2) and Viconia are in my current party, and I'd like to have them in my BG2 party.

I eventually would like to add Sarevok (in ToB). Since I don't want to remove a character I've had in my party throughout most of SoA when I add Sarevok, I'd prefer to have a 5-member party in SoA.

So the question arises, who should the other two members of my party be?

In other words, I plan to have:

1. PC (half-elf blade)
2. Viconia (drow elf cleric)
3. Imoen (human, thief>mage) [Rejoins party in Spellhold]
4. Sarevok (human fighter) [Joins party at beginning of ToB]

The options that seem most interesting (to me) include:

A.
5. Minsc (human ranger)
6. Jan (gnome illusionist/thief)

B.
5. Korgan (dwarf berserker)
6. Jan (gnome illusionist/thief)

C.
5. Minsc (human ranger)
6. Haer' Dalis (tiefling blade)
7. Yoshimo (human bounty-hunter) [To be replaced with Imoen in Spellhold]

D.
5. Valygar (human ranger)
6. Mazzy (halfling fighter)
7. Yoshimo (human bounty-hunter) [To be replaced with Imoen in Spellhold]

Regarding option A: Minsc and Jan have some pretty entertaining conversations (iirc). Minsc is a solid warrior, and Jan would take care of both spellcasting and thievery during Imoen's captivity (and continues to be useful afterwards). My only worry is that Minsc would be the only full warrior in the party throughout SoA.

Regarding option B: I'd prefer to have a party that is 'neutral' in overall alignment (balancing any evil characters with good ones), so that inclines me against this option. On the other hand, Korgan is the best fighter in SoA.

Regarding option C: I think it would be interesting to have two blades in the party, especially since I won't have any mages until Imoen is rescued.

Regarding option Two solid warriors (Valygar + Mazzy) in the party would be nice, especially since they have some amusing chats (iirc). I vaguely recall that Valygar does not get along too well with Viconia, but perhaps there is a way to prevent a fight breaking out?

Thanks for any comments or suggestions!

Thrasymachus

Thrasymachus said:

I'd prefer to have a party that is 'neutral' in overall alignment (balancing any evil characters with good ones), so that inclines me against this option.

I should mention that I'm okay with more 'good' characters than 'evil' ones in the party. What I meant was that I'm not that keen on a party that is weighted in favour of evil characters (e.g., 3 evil characters).

ajwz

Valygar is pretty boring interaction-wise imo.
It makes sense to include yoshimo no matter what and just replace him with immy in spellhold. That frees you up to not require a thief, so then you can pick your choice of 2 of minsc, haer dalis, mazzy or korgan

redline

ajwz said:

Valygar is pretty boring interaction-wise imo.
It makes sense to include yoshimo no matter what and just replace him with immy in spellhold. That frees you up to not require a thief, so then you can pick your choice of 2 of minsc, haer dalis, mazzy or korgan

I agree on the Yoshimo->Imoen transition (as would a lot of folks, I think), but Valygar's only really boring in isolation -- pairing him with other more talkative NPCs, like Mazzy and Viconia, makes for some fun conversations and an interesting overall party.

I tend to prefer being caster-heavy in terms of gameplay, so in your shoes I'd probably pick up Jan. But if you're strictly after a fun party dynamic (and are OK being a bit warrior-heavy), I'd say option D is a clear winner.

Thrasymachus

@redline: I originally was leaning toward option D, for the fun party dynamic reason. My main worry was precisely the lack of arcane spellcasting until Imoen is rescued. But my blade can cast spells and use wands, scrolls, etc., so perhaps option D won't be that bad.

Thrasymachus

ajwz said:

...you can pick your choice of 2 of minsc, haer dalis, mazzy or korgan

Do any two of these characters work especially well together, and/or have interesting chats?

Having Mazzy and Korgan in the same party would be ... interesting.

ajwz

Mazzy and korgan interact the best with each other.
Also Korgan and Viconia have some quite interesting stuff to say

zur312

minsc + jan obv

space hamster and gnomish specialist!

Thrasymachus

My worry with Korgan is that at some point during ToB both Sarevok and Viconia cease being evil (depending on role-playing choices, but that is likely given my PC). That would leave Korgan as the only evil person in the party, which could make things difficult toward the end of the game, as I wouldn't want him leaving at that stage, and would not be keen on murdering some random peasant to keep him happy.

MilesBeyond

Mazzy, Korgan and Keldorn is actually a great combination (they disagree, but respect each others' fighting skills). Too bad you can't mix Keldorn and Viconia.


You may want some more NPCs, because right now you've got two slots reserved for NPCs who aren't available until chapters 4 and 8, respectively.

Yoshimo is a good pre-Imoen. Nalia is as well, though she's also good to keep on afterwards. People complain that she's just a less good Imoen, but you can do a lot worse than having both.

I'd recommend grabbing either Mazzy or Korgan as a placeholder for Sarevok. Mazzy's got more of a range emphasis, and Korgan's got more of a melee emphasis, but they both go either way (Mazzy's no slouch with Short Swords, and Kagain can do some huge damage with throwing axes)

Anaximander

I would consider Anomen over Viconia. While she has nice MR and dex, she doesn't do much in melee. He probably won't get along with Sarevok so perhaps this isn't useful advice. You could perhaps have him fail his test and go insane hehe. His wisdom will be dismal but shouldn't matter that much.

Wisp

Everyone likes Sarevok. How could they not? (More to the point, there are no party conflicts in ToB. Everyone is one big, happy family.)

Itstucktwice

I would go Mazzy/Valygar.

As has been stated, Valygar is a rather boring character UNLESS you pair him with either Mazzy or Viconia. Since you plan to already have Viccy in your party, adding Mazzy just increases Valygar's character interaction even more.

Mazzy is more of a project than Korgan. She will eventually become just as good in melee combat as he is, but because of her early specialization in short bows and short swords, it takes her several levels to catch up to Korgan's melee prowess. The trick is to get her early enough so not TOO many points are wasted on short swords. He will always be ahead in terms of proficiency points, but there reaches a point where that really doesn't matter because you aren't likely to be switching between weapon types THAT often. Mazzy will also fit better with a neutral/good party.

Jan isn't really needed, as Imoen can handle all thieving that is required, and between her and your blade, you have spellcasting taken care of. This goes the same for Haer'dalis. His magic isn't really needed, and his physical ability is already taken care of by your fighter heavy party.

Yoshimo is generally just taken until you get Imoen back anyway, I see no reason not to drag him along to spellhold.

You could replace Valygar with Minsc if you truly desire. I find Minsc enjoyable 1 playthrough. That's it. After that i can't stand him in the party anymore(personal opinion).

Thrasymachus

MilesBeyond said:

You may want some more NPCs, because right now you've got two slots reserved for NPCs who aren't available until chapters 4 and 8, respectively.

I'm inclined to go with Yoshimo before switching over to Imoen (if only because Yoshi has a great personality and story). But I'd rather not have an NPC in party all the way through SoA before dumping him/her for Sarevok, mainly for RP reasons. I think that SoA can be finished with a 5-member party without too much pain. (Or so I shall see...)

Thrasymachus

Anaximander said:

I would consider Anomen over Viconia.

I'd like to play through the Viconia romance story, so I'm pretty determined to keep her in the party.

Also, if I run through the entire saga again, I'll probably try a female PC and see what the Anomen romance is like (I've never played it). And if I have Anomen in the party, Jan is a must, as he is the ultimate Anomen-antagonizer.

Thrasymachus

Itstucktwice said:

Mazzy is more of a project than Korgan. She will eventually become just as good in melee combat as he is, but because of her early specialization in short bows and short swords, it takes her several levels to catch up to Korgan's melee prowess. The trick is to get her early enough so not TOO many points are wasted on short swords. He will always be ahead in terms of proficiency points, but there reaches a point where that really doesn't matter because you aren't likely to be switching between weapon types THAT often. Mazzy will also fit better with a neutral/good party.

What would you recommend Mazzy invest in other than short swords and short bows?

I was thinking that (if I include her in the party) investing points in two-weapon style might be a good idea, and then giving her that short sword with the extra attack/round (can't remember what it's called) in her 'off' hand.

Itstucktwice

Thrasymachus said:

What would you recommend Mazzy invest in other than short swords and short bows?

I was thinking that (if I include her in the party) investing points in two-weapon style might be a good idea, and then giving her that short sword with the extra attack/round (can't remember what it's called) in her 'off' hand.

You are thinking of Kundane. And honestly, if you want Mazzy to use short swords, it isn't going to gimp her that much. She is going to do less damage than if she used Axes, Longswords, or Bastard Swords, but she is still going to be a great fighter. I would personally go with axes for Axe of the Unyielding.

Thrasymachus

Thanks for all the advice! Much appreciated.

I think I'll go with Yoshimo, Mazzy, and Valygar (with Minsc until picking up Mazzy or Val).

I'm a bit nervous about having only one arcane spellcaster in the party -- and a bard at that -- until Imoen is rescued. But the challenge may prove stimulating!

shawne

Thrasymachus said:

I'm a bit nervous about having only one arcane spellcaster in the party -- and a bard at that -- until Imoen is rescued. But the challenge may prove stimulating!

In that case, you might want to take Nalia instead of Yoshimo - you can boost her thieving skills with rings while using her spells to offset Haer'Dalis...