New to Baldur's Gate

Stormvessel

Hey - new to Baldur's Gate and D&D for that matter. PC gamer of about 2 years now and figured it was due time to go back and play the classics. Also trying to get into Planescape: Torment as well as Temple of Elemental Evil.

32 years old.

Born and raised in Texas but living in Ohio the last 3 years.

Avid gamer and Civfinatic.

That is all.

Edit: Oh, and I have a question on this thread that perhaps someone could help me with...

http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/22425/question-about-invoker?new=1

maxi

welcome!
and prepare youself for the best rpg adventure ever made!
for me the BGsaga is absolutely the best game I ever played, there is nothing like it!
and planescape is very good too, very different compared to BG but it's a game you MUST play if you like this kind of rpg... hopefully one day we will see the enhanced edition of torment too...
so, welcome again, and enjoy BG and this beautiful forum and community

Stormvessel

Thank you so much Maxi! Really loving it so far.

Archaos

A word of advice, take it easy. These are old and hardcore games. They're pretty tough, both with their rules and challenge, plus no pointers.

But complicated rules usually mean many options, challenge means sense of accomplishment and no hand-holding means that you are rewarded for thinking.

Stormvessel

Thanks - I plan to grind away and learn by trial and error. In complicated games that seem over my head, that approach never fails me. So I plan to just jump in headlong, for better or worse and familiarize myself with the game.

Sed

And remember that BG is a game all about exploring your surroundings. Check every house, explore every map, talk to all named NPC's etc. You never know what you will find.

Oh, and save! Often and a lot

A tip along the way - make sure you pick up NPC's matching your alignment, or you might have some in-party fights.

Stormvessel

Thanks for the advice. I would gladly dump Xzar and Montaron as soon as I get to Nashkel, but I am worried that I will be 2 NPCs short before I can find others. I guess I'll figure something out.

maxi

maybe explore a little bit the sorrounding maps before go no nashkel where you follow the main story. personally I prefer to play all the first part of the game in solo, (or just one companion) just to level up faster
and like Sed said, explore everything, this is one of the most beautiful parts of BG!

Stormvessel

Thanks Maxi - really loving it so far.

One question - when do I get Minsc? I got rid of Xzar and Monty, picked up Neera, and am now down to 5 party members counting myself. What I need is a frontline fighter to go with my Cavalier and Khalid - Imoen, Jaheera and Neera are my backline casters/range...need another neutral or good warrior and Minsc would be perfect!

maxi

you can find Minsc in Nashkel, close to the barracks I think... but you already have 2 warriors, and a fighter druid, from my point of view maybe can be better to take another mage or Rasaad that is a good new npc! anyway Minsc it's a very beautiful character.

Stormvessel

Rasaad kept dying so I reformed my party and left him...dead.

Hmm...I do have the druid, but I was mainly using her as a caster. I have her equipped with a club. I may drop her (I assume her husband would leave too?).

If I could drop her and her husband, I could replace them with Minsc, and another mage. Know anyone? After that I would still have one last spot...hmm...a cleric would be nice. I really appreciate the advice, Maxi...you've been great!

So a cleric and a mage to go along with Minsc would be so good - I may look up where to find them. If you happen to know where a good cleric and mage is I would appreciate it. Last hint I will ask for - promise .

Griboe

You should pick up Minsc and follow his questline. (You have ten ingame days to complete his quest)

Stormvessel

Thanks Griboe! Will do!

maxi

exactly, follow Minsc quest! then you can find Branwen the cleric in Nashkel carnival.
normally I play with 4 characters, charname (ranger or fighter/mage), Neera, Coran and Branwen. It is always good to have a good ranged character with a long bow (like coran) because later in the game you can find or buy amazing arrows that can make the difference.
enjoy!

Stormvessel

Thanks soooo much guys! Minsc's storyline it is! Next stop, Nashkel carnival and Branwen!

I really cannot convey in words how much I am enjoying this game. Part of me is elated and the other part angry I didn't get around to it sooner. I think of all the time I wasted playing Diablo, and while Diablo is a good game, this is really unlike anything I have ever experienced before. And it's Dungeons and Dragons - that's the real deal.

Corvino

If you're got Planescape: Torment then it's also a fantastic game, but far more story and dialogue focused than Baldur's Gate 1. There are transferrable skills though, and learning combat in the fairly unforgiving Baldur's Gate environment will give you a huge headstart in Planescape: Torment.

The biggest difference is that in PS:T wisdom is not a dump stat. It's probably the best stat in the game for most characters.

Stormvessel

Very true - I tinkered around long in enough in PST to realize just that. It would be a waste not to have as much Wisdom as possible, if for no other reason than the xp bonuses alone.

Time4Tiddy

One great thing about BG is that you can replay it over and over. Choosing a different class and then filling out your party with a different roster can make the game seem entirely changed from previous playthroughs, even when many of the quests are the same. You'll also always find a quest you never did before. Once you have a good idea of the different NPCs, you can start to plan your game based on who will be in your party and when. Some of my best playthroughs have occurred when I decide to use NPCs I never used before. Quayle, for example, I never used for probably five-six years, then I finally decided to try him out and now I use him in almost every playthrough. Alora is another one I never used and then she got a big upgrade with EE and now she's my favorite thief.

Time4Tiddy

BTW, the "canon" party for official storyline purposes is Jaheira, Khalid, Imoen, Minsc, and Dynaheir, so for your first playthrough, maybe you just want to see how that goes.

Stormvessel

Time4Tiddy said:

BTW, the "canon" party for official storyline purposes is Jaheira, Khalid, Imoen, Minsc, and Dynaheir, so for your first playthrough, maybe you just want to see how that goes.

Sounds good - too bad Dynaheir is a lousy invoker. Seeing as how my charname is a not a caster, I really need Xan for support.

Time4Tiddy

I agree, I always use Xan in almost every playthrough, sometimes Xan and Quayle, sometimes Xan and Imoen dualled. He's IMO the strongest caster in vanilla - Edwin's fancy extra spells and 18 int aside.