Killing random people for gold and loot turned out to be a mistake. I thought the game was horribly unfair when the Flaming Fist came after me all the time. I was young.
My very first play through I did not realize the + sign meant level up, I played a while at level 1 and wondered why the game was so difficult. It was a long time before I realized Jaheira could wear heavy armor. I rarely changed NPCs out of the gear they had originally until I started getting magical gear.
similar case for me in oblivion. don't know who thought it was a good idea to make me sleep to level up but when I finally did the game became super hard because I was still in level one armor and weapons after leveling to 9
in Baldur's gate I made a ranger thinking I would get priest spells on my first game. turns out not until later. I get to bg2 and get priest spells, but notice that I quickly stop getting them insteading of going through all the levels. I was very disappointed. also my first game I went to werewolf island I didn't have the weapons to kill the greater wolfwere so I was stuck for a long time. luckily I horded some potions and killed it by making everyone use firebreathing potion on it at once, then killed my party by walking around with the breath so I had to do it again
I didn't realise for ages that you could scroll down the thief skills when leveling up, so my top for skills all had 200 plus, while the rest had none.
What?!
There are more than four skills? :O
I genuinely did not know this. I need to go check this for myself RIGHT NOW.
In the original BG1 there were only 4 skills. Stealth, Pick Pockets, Pick Locks, and Find Traps. BG2 added a few and split up stealth (and BGEE is based on the BG2 engine).
I remember when I first started I was clueless because nobody had mana and spells kept disappearing. Had no idea what the sleeping mechanic was, I'd just go until I ran out of juice.
I played the Demo at GEN CON the year that BG came out. Since it was a demo, I didn't have instructions and the game played like real time (No Pauses set at all). I almost decided on the strength of that to not buy the game. I am ever so eternally glad that I did not make that mistake.
Other than that, the one biggest mistake I continue to make when playing the game is to hoard scrolls, wands and potions. I know that they are supposed to be used yet I always end up at the last battle of the game with so many extra expendables, that I will never use that it is laughable.
I lost Mullahey's letters and spent one real-life month wondering where the story wanted me to go. I stumbled on Tranzig in Beregost and was surprised to find the bandit camp showing up on my map afterwards.
Note: save your scrolls, and check your journal once in a while
I thought invoker was the best specialist mage and the rest of them were terrible. Also thought a high THACO was good until I equipped Varsconia or what ever that +2 ice sword of awesome is called.
I played BG2 first when I was about 12 or so.. I made so many embarrassing mistakes.
1. I played a half orc fighter who was supposed to have 5 proficiencies in long sword and It took me roughly 75% of the game and a lot of missed attacks before I finally looked at the stats and realized I accidentally put 5 proficiencies in long bow.
2. In my first play through I killed aerie in the circus because I thought the ogre was trying to trick me. I thought I was pretty clever until one of my buddies at school who was also playing told me that aerie was a potential party member. I felt so bad that i ended up restarting.
2. In my first play through I killed aerie in the circus because I thought the ogre was trying to trick me. I thought I was pretty clever until one of my buddies at school who was also playing told me that aerie was a potential party member. I felt so bad that i ended up restarting.
That's actually really cool. I like it when video game trickery gets the best of the player.
Don't be fooled, it's a TRAP! That evil she-ogre is just trying to aid her true master, Cyric, by getting your character to commit suicide from the constant whining if you fall for her evil ploy. Quayle is in on it too! The real reason he and Tiax didn't get along is because Cyric promised HIM he would rule, due to his his unmatched intelligence and endless fount of wisdom!
Killing random people for gold and loot turned out to be a mistake. I thought the game was horribly unfair when the Flaming Fist came after me all the time. I was young.
I didn't commit murder, but I did have Imoen rob everything that wasn't nailed down, because I thought that that's what a thief should do. I just told myself that she was doing what thieves do anyway, and that I wouldn't be able to stop her, so she went upstairs and into buildings by herself, where I couldn't see her.
I was *so* surprised when Jaheira all of a sudden shouted, on the streets of Beregost, "Better leadership! Come on, Khalid!", and the two of them walked off, never to be seen again.
If I recall correctly, I thought "Oh." And I restarted, and started roleplaying that I would keep the larcenous Imoen on a *very* short leash from then on.
Oh gods, the list is endless (the joys of playing a game meant for adults when your age is still in single digits) but what really stands out from my first attempt at Baldur's Gate
1. I treated everyone like a fighter. I'd equip my entire party with melee weapons and tell them to jump into the frey. The results were... memorable, if predictable.
2. Traps were like some sort of Uber-magic in my eyes, and I had no idea I could detect and disarm them. As a result, I never even finished the Nashkel Mines until after I'd beaten BG2 a couple years later.
I made a mage with 18 con, he needed it not having hp the poor thing... Fortunately I knew strength would be a luxury...
Result. A lot of reloading on my part due to my character being frozen (in reality overburdened due to my weight limit being well and truly passed...) !
I don't know how many times I've added a few points of STR to some chars, just to increase the weight they can carry. 50 lbs is just too little ^^
Other than that, the one biggest mistake I continue to make when playing the game is to hoard scrolls, wands and potions. I know that they are supposed to be used yet I always end up at the last battle of the game with so many extra expendables, that I will never use that it is laughable.
I have this problem as well; I hardly ever use my strength potions or defense potions. I only use my potions of Heroism after Durlag, when I pick up a dozen in Ulgoth's Beard and realize that I've been sitting on a huge pile all game. In my last play through I managed to at least use the explosive potions by distributing them to my party and using them to rock some of the late game group fights. That Iron Throne group in the Undercity is pretty easy if you're hurling 5 fireballs and a Cloudkill at them simultaneously from out of their field of vision.
@Southpaw: What is this blind date you speak of? Is that when everyone wears a bucket over their eyestalks?
On topic, dualing Xzar to cleric because there was a button. Charname was an evil cleric with high wisdom, and my logic was - I just lost my foster father, so my first task is to find a new one. Xzar was wise and gave me stuff, so he was a good choice. It bothered me horribly that he wasn't wiser than charname, so the first wisdom tome I found went to him. Then the button appeared. Then I saw he can be a cleric. Awesome - he'd be a real mentor AND a mage then! *dual classes* Let's say it was quite a downer when he was a level 1 cleric AND couldn't cast the mage spells anymore.
BG1 was my first RPG back in '98, I was about 12 or 13. I had no idea initially that priests could cast spells, and kept wondering why mages couldn't cast healing spells. Clueless, I know. I kept getting mages and wondering why there were no healing spells on scrolls to scribe. I eventually got around this by exporting my first fighter at the end of chapter 3 and getting 4 cure light wounds as Bhaalspawn abilities.
I think I then read the manual and facepalmed constantly for the entire of it.
I Other than that, the one biggest mistake I continue to make when playing the game is to hoard scrolls, wands and potions. I know that they are supposed to be used yet I always end up at the last battle of the game with so many extra expendables, that I will never use that it is laughable.
I fall into this category, as well, which is why I am reworking my party scripts to use potions all the time. Strength under 19? Use potion. See enemy? Potion of heroism. See mage? Use wand. I expect this time to wind up with not much left over. Also, I am spending all the money when I get it--why hoard gold when my adventurer could die during the next fight?
I think I fireballed during a big fight in Baldur's Gate -- it's been a long time, some sort of meeting with Sarevok and lots of Flaming Fist? -- then killed all the red circles and didn't understand why the FF kept coming after me. Or maybe it was because I was framed for a crime or something. Really I don't remember.
Took me awhile to figure out you could assign different battle scripts to your party members. After doing so I didn't know you could turn them off quickly via the bottom lower left AI button.
Never noticed you could also drink potions at their description tab.
Never tried to talk to my familiar, and had no clue it can go into your backpack.
Didn't know that the thief's Detect Illusion ability is tied to the Detect/Disarm trap icon. When activated and your Detect Illusion skill is high enough invisible enemies are detected!!
No a mistake per se but when I played BG for a first time I prefered melee weapons over bows etc. I even used Kivan like melee figher (and I had Ajantis, Khalid and Jaheira). And I prefered evocation spells like fireball and lighting bolt over spells like haste, slow, confusion. But I think that I´ve learned to use spell only when I started to play with Tactics mod. This mod disabuses you very quickly.
Comments
That 3 Int for fighters, clerics and rogues didn't look so bad until you get to meet a mind flayer.
...and you never called back!
in Baldur's gate I made a ranger thinking I would get priest spells on my first game. turns out not until later. I get to bg2 and get priest spells, but notice that I quickly stop getting them insteading of going through all the levels. I was very disappointed. also my first game I went to werewolf island I didn't have the weapons to kill the greater wolfwere so I was stuck for a long time. luckily I horded some potions and killed it by making everyone use firebreathing potion on it at once, then killed my party by walking around with the breath so I had to do it again
Other than that, the one biggest mistake I continue to make when playing the game is to hoard scrolls, wands and potions. I know that they are supposed to be used yet I always end up at the last battle of the game with so many extra expendables, that I will never use that it is laughable.
Note: save your scrolls, and check your journal once in a while
I thought invoker was the best specialist mage and the rest of them were terrible. Also thought a high THACO was good until I equipped Varsconia or what ever that +2 ice sword of awesome is called.
1. I played a half orc fighter who was supposed to have 5 proficiencies in long sword and It took me roughly 75% of the game and a lot of missed attacks before I finally looked at the stats and realized I accidentally put 5 proficiencies in long bow.
2. In my first play through I killed aerie in the circus because I thought the ogre was trying to trick me. I thought I was pretty clever until one of my buddies at school who was also playing told me that aerie was a potential party member. I felt so bad that i ended up restarting.
I was *so* surprised when Jaheira all of a sudden shouted, on the streets of Beregost, "Better leadership! Come on, Khalid!", and the two of them walked off, never to be seen again.
If I recall correctly, I thought "Oh." And I restarted, and started roleplaying that I would keep the larcenous Imoen on a *very* short leash from then on.
Result. A lot of reloading on my part due to my character being frozen (in reality overburdened due to my weight limit being well and truly passed...)
...
Mistakes are part of the learning process. Make many and rejoice in your learning!
1. I treated everyone like a fighter. I'd equip my entire party with melee weapons and tell them to jump into the frey. The results were... memorable, if predictable.
2. Traps were like some sort of Uber-magic in my eyes, and I had no idea I could detect and disarm them. As a result, I never even finished the Nashkel Mines until after I'd beaten BG2 a couple years later.
On topic, dualing Xzar to cleric because there was a button. Charname was an evil cleric with high wisdom, and my logic was - I just lost my foster father, so my first task is to find a new one. Xzar was wise and gave me stuff, so he was a good choice. It bothered me horribly that he wasn't wiser than charname, so the first wisdom tome I found went to him. Then the button appeared. Then I saw he can be a cleric. Awesome - he'd be a real mentor AND a mage then! *dual classes* Let's say it was quite a downer when he was a level 1 cleric AND couldn't cast the mage spells anymore.
I think I then read the manual and facepalmed constantly for the entire of it.
I also thought Good berries was a good spell to memorize because of the healing.
Never noticed you could also drink potions at their description tab.
Never tried to talk to my familiar, and had no clue it can go into your backpack.
Didn't know that the thief's Detect Illusion ability is tied to the Detect/Disarm trap icon. When activated and your Detect Illusion skill is high enough invisible enemies are detected!!