can't decide on a BG2 class to play
doctordog
Member Posts: 44
i'm new to BG2 (but not 1), so i hope this is still the appropriate place to post.
anyway, i've playced through the intro dungeon about 2.5 times now (once a sorceror, twice as a mage) and feel a little dissatisfied. i think it's a) because i always play as magic-based characters, b) it's hard to see how the characters might evolve at this point, and c) i'm not familiar with the pros/cons of each class.
as far as magic goes, i don't really like playing support-based (i.e. cleric). on my last run through BG1, i had the most fun playing as a heavy spell-caster (Edwin), or my two pimped-out tanks (Shar-teel and an evil dwarf whose name I forget). I also tried playing a multi-class mage/thief but she never evolved sufficiently in either class, which made it boring. do multi-class characters come into their own more in BG2?
I want someone who will offer variety and still pose a challenge, and don't think I could handle doing away with magic entirely. The fighter/illusionist combo sounds interesting; so does the kensai/mage, but does that character have to be played solo to evolve properly? (FWIW, I don't wanna play solo on my first run through).
anyway, i've playced through the intro dungeon about 2.5 times now (once a sorceror, twice as a mage) and feel a little dissatisfied. i think it's a) because i always play as magic-based characters, b) it's hard to see how the characters might evolve at this point, and c) i'm not familiar with the pros/cons of each class.
as far as magic goes, i don't really like playing support-based (i.e. cleric). on my last run through BG1, i had the most fun playing as a heavy spell-caster (Edwin), or my two pimped-out tanks (Shar-teel and an evil dwarf whose name I forget). I also tried playing a multi-class mage/thief but she never evolved sufficiently in either class, which made it boring. do multi-class characters come into their own more in BG2?
I want someone who will offer variety and still pose a challenge, and don't think I could handle doing away with magic entirely. The fighter/illusionist combo sounds interesting; so does the kensai/mage, but does that character have to be played solo to evolve properly? (FWIW, I don't wanna play solo on my first run through).
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Comments
try a hat trick F/M/T or F/M/C. i had a lot of fun playing as a F/M/T since there was a lot of variety i could work with (buffed up frontline fighter, archer spell slinger, magic ninja, etc.) when you get far in the game the leveling isn't too bad and your npcs will compliment w/e your lacking (except for thief, which is why i chose F/M/T over F/M/C)
Good choice IMO with plenty of options (spells)
You really cant get it all since gameplay is originally based on a party.
Write a checklist what you "Must" be able to do, what would be "Neat" to do, and what you "dont mind" skipping. That really helps Imho.
Stalker is a really neat Ranger kit, Avenger is a nice and powerful Druid kit, and there are the Bard kits. They are all fun to play, but you have very good NPC alternatives for these (xcept for the Avenger).
Mages/Sorcerer are totally OP. That usually means, you can manage most encounters on your own eventually.
Dual Classing is also super OP in BG2. Fighter + Mage/Cleric/Druid are all viable. A few fighter levels are easy to re-enable then you have the melee power as well.
Minor Spoiler:
*Some of the best weapons in the game are Two Handed Swords.*
On your first playthru I would recommend a less powerful PC, the NPCs are mostly amazing, they can get the job done with you spectating.
Game replays are a lot more rewarding if you dont want to "do it all" with a single character.
Paladin is a really good choice, since you can make her quite protected and avoid a lot of the reload fest when you fight powerful monsters. When the protagonist is down, it is auto fail <= reload.
Doing Irenicus dungeon over and over, will exhaust you. The best option is to stick with your preference, hire the NPCs you find interesting and cool to play with and enjoy the game.
Progression is like looking at the clock, the harder you watch it, the slower it seems, not to mention progression is not really represented by your exp counter
Playing a support class isnt that bad at all, you can just sit back and relax
anyway, i did finally settle on the gnome fighter/illusionist (said cleric by mistake in my last post). so far, the lack of armor is a bit of a setback, but i have him equipped with a decent helm, bracers etc and a magical two-handed sword. the defensive buffs (stoneskin, mirror image etc.) also make great additions during melee.
i didn't wanna start a new thread, so i'll ask this here first: my character is Lawful Evil, but i'm growing quite fond of the Good characters in my party. i'm guessing there'll be cool Evil characters down the path, but my general inclination has been to play quests in a Good manner.
Is there going to be a problem with my Lawful Evil character co-existing with Good characters in the party, permitting my reputation doesn't take any drastic hits? just wonder because i don't necessarily want to waste the good spells i'm discovering on Good mages
If you mostly play a good way, you might as well edit your character with Shadowkeeper to make him/her good or neutral, so that his alignment matches his actions/deeds.
In general in BG the evil characters are a bit stronger than their good counterparts, but there's far more good NPCs than evil ones in BG 2, so if this is your first blind run, I wouldn't worry too much about finding them.
If you plan on getting the best of all worlds (i.e. utilizing the Fighter/Mage/Thief combo) then I suggest trying out the human Swashbuckler/Mage dual-class first. I am using it in one of my games right now and it is pretty fantastic. Here's the rundown of the Swashbuckler class:
In-game Description:
Advantages
Gains +1 bonus to AC every 5 levels
Uses the Fighter's THAC0 progression table while wielding melee weapons
Can specialize (i.e. put two * in a weapon category) in any melee weapon that a thief can use
Can acquire the Whirlwind Strike ability at higher levels (Throne of Bhaal)
Can acquire the Insightful Strike ability at higher levels (Throne of Bhaal)
Disadvantages
Cannot backstab
Cannot dual-class to a Fighter
Cannot acquire the Assassination ability at higher levels
Cannot acquire the Crippling Strike ability at higher levels
Some tips for this class if you plan to try it out:
- The Swashbuckler gains natural AC every five levels, thus when dualing to a Mage who can't utilize armor while casting, the AC bonus really helps. Also, if you have a high Dexterity (as any Thief should), you get AC bonuses from that, too. So as a Mage, when you can use arcane spells such as Armor, the Dexterity and AC bonus stack with your AC-increasing spell(s). (This may sound confusing at first, but as you progress through the game, you'll understand.)
- Typically, a Swashbuckler dualing to a Mage would do this at either level 10 or level 15 (for the second or third extra AC bonus). Level 15 would be my ideal choice if you were soloing because you get a third AC bonus, an extra proficiency point, and extra thieving points that you can put into Detect Illusion to dispel any invisible creatures or humanoids you come across without having to use up reserves in your spellbook with spells like True Sight or Detect Invisibility. However, if you're planning on using a party, dualing at level 10 would be practical as you wouldn't get enough experience in the game to surpass level 15 and still use both classes.
I really like this class and there are some disadvantages of it to the F/M/T but it's all matter of style. It's a really fun class to play as, though.
flails clubs hammers scimitars long swords are really good and easy to get
about cool characters
berserker/cleric berserekr/druids or berserker/mage or kensai/mage or fighter/mage for ranged weapons are all great
fighter/thiefs are cool
stalkers are cool
cavaliers
undead hunters
assasins probably with those extra poisons
You play all the npc's just as much as you play your own character.
Ofc, you should pick something you think is fun, just enjoy the game and avoid spoilers.
On my first run I skipped a "large" part ofc the game, because I didn't trust a certain npc. and it didn't make the game any less enjoyable.
oh... I guess I chat to much en online games and mmo's, it should mean of course