i am compelled to explore everything! help!

jfrenchy

every single last bit of black fog of war must be revealed. every possible zone on the world map must be revealed and explored in depth to make sure i kill all hostile creatures, and complete all possible random conversations

this is my problem. i noticed that it was getting very tedious, after restarting the game with a new character build, especially since i had just completely and utterly explored these areas 100% + 1 just the day before.

so i have to ask, how can i keep myself from doing this? i tell myself that i need the XP, isn't this true? isn't it absolutely necessary to get your character and companions the most XP possible? find all possible gear to sell and have the most gold and best gear available?

on the other hand i think 'well what if i wasn't so anal about exploring, then i wouldn't even know about those here mountains unless i accidentally took a wrong turn!'. i remember when i first played BG when it first came out, and i don't think i had this problem

ajwz

CLUAConsole:ExploreArea()

Shin

I can sympathize, having the exact same compulsion no matter if it's been a year or a day since I last finished a playthrough.

That said, you don't really need the xp. If you play vanilla with an xp cap you will hit that well in advance of finishing the game, meaning you won't need to kill all enemies available. Even with the xp cap removed you will hit a soft cap as the amount of xp starts to increase drastically after around level 9-10.
A similar thing goes for gold - it's at its most useful early on when you have the least of it, but towards the end or even middle of the game you often have everything you need that gold can buy, and another 10k gold (if that) you might get from vacuuming every map for enemies won't make a difference.

So I'd say accept that the exploration mode is how you ultimately feel best about playing the game. If you really don't want to I guess you could do some editing. You can use the ExploreArea() console command to instantly clear a map, or you could for instance give yourself 5k or 10k gold and a bunch of xp and figure that you just instantly gave yourself all the rewards you could collect from scouring every map for enemies - so then there's no longer any need to actually do so.

jfrenchy

i was afraid about xp cap or gold becoming useless later on in the game, and it kind of means i'm just overdoing everything at the start, simply because it's where i have the least of. will try to remember that console command as well.

isn't tales of the sword coast included in BG:EE so that XP cap is going to be pretty high up there, and also wasn't there some expensive items to be sold included in that expansion?

atcDave

I always explore everything too, well except for Firewine Bridge. Learn to embrace being anal, you're in good company.

Shin

jfrenchy said:

isn't tales of the sword coast included in BG:EE so that XP cap is going to be pretty high up there, and also wasn't there some expensive items to be sold included in that expansion?

The xp cap is higher, but not so high that you won't hit it well before the game ends if you do everything. And there are some expensive items, but not so expensive that you won't have all you need with gold to spare.

BelgarathMTH

I also compulsively clear maps. I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing stuff if I don't.

For example, if you don't explore every inch of the southwest and Cloudpeak Mountains, you'll potentially miss:

-Caldo, Krumm, and the Nymph
-little girl's dead cat
-Vax, the fastest dart thrower in the west, and bracers of archery
-Drizzt and the gnoll army
-Larry, Darryl, and Darryl
-Minsc goes berserk when taunted by a gnoll deserter
-Nexlit and Ursa
-Greywolf, Prism, and a +2 longsword of cold
-lots of dread wolves and cave bears, a +2 halberd, and a +1 flail
-Alfred and Rufie
-Bjornin's half ogres
-Bassilus and a +2 hammer of lightning
-Melicamp the unfortunate talking chicken
-Commander Brage
-archaeologists' dig
-probably more that I'm not thinking of currently

elminster

There are certainly some good items in the optional (non quest related) areas of the game. But nothing you absolutely need. So if you feel like you are taking too much time in the random wilderness areas then don't explore them.

Luigirules

I do this too.

It makes playing Borderlands really, really tedious sometimes...

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

jfrenchy

while it's nice to hear my dilemma isn't singular i still have to express that this overreaching urge to explore everything is very much damaging my morale. BG:EE is just getting monotonous with my playstyle, with very little promise of future rewards

so i've dusted off my copies of BG1+2, and with a some googling, found some interesting mods to install (for example tutu and widescreen), and this time around i'm really going to restrain myself and just follow a natural path so i don't overwhelm myself.

so far i've cleared candlekeep. every corner cleared, every possible box looted. not looking so good for my intended goal, but maybe i can make it work in the long term. i'll just loot the gem, ring+1 and wizardy ring, and then call it quits with over-exploring. i'm planning to not loot every house in beregost, and just follow the paths of the map to the mines. the hell with those hobgoblin carrying stealth boots, i have companions that want to go south ASAP

I can do this, i know i can

DetroitRedWings25

atcDave said:

I always explore everything too, well except for Firewine Bridge. Learn to embrace being anal, you're in good company.

THIS! the dungeon beneath Firewine Bridge is the one thing that tarnishes my Baldur's gate experience.

ajwz

Has someone ever done a mod to remove the respawning enemies from firewine?

mylegbig

Just be aware of the reality, which is that this is just a game, and therefore the only point of it is that you enjoy it. If you actually enjoy exploring and revealing every nook and cranny, well, then why not do it? If this is just a purely compulsive thing though, you're probably a compulsive person in general and should see to that first instead of just focusing on this game.

Calmar

You have already fully explored and completed the game at least once. Good job. Be content. The other characters are just like vacation - no toil, just do what you like.