Edwin or Xan?
Ruscoe
Member Posts: 126
Im a Blade chaotic neutral what should I do? Xan has a sick weapon and can make a pretty descent fighter and has a likeable personality however he has very low hit points and can't cast evocation spells. Edwin on the other hand has mad magic powers good constitution but is shit at melee attacks and a horrible personality..thoughts?
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To quote my NPC guide (warning...self promotion follows)
"You have to realise that the original Baldur's Gate (pre-expansion) had a much lower experience cap than BGEE, far fewer spells, a more powerful final boss, and no kits. Despite this it was still a very beatable game. So while the learning curve may be steep it is much easier than it used to be."
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=183524786#
In other words its still very possible to make Xan into a great mage character and beat any problems that come before you. It takes more work than Edwin but if you like Xan's personality better than go for it!
But as has been said, it is very possible to complete the game with just about any combination of characters. So if you like Xan's personality and want him in your party, have at it. You aren't hurting yourself excessively.
My personal only complaint with Edwin, other than his alignment should I choose to play a good party, is his lack of ability to cast Identify (and low lore rating). Early game, having to identify every single magic item for 100 gold a pop can add up quickly. VERY quickly indeed. By mid game, you have more money to play with, and by late game you have so much gold that I am surprised dragons don't rent rooms with you just to sleep on your hoard. But early game that lack can mean the difference between getting decent equipment for your group or busking it with less than the best equipment.
I have a hard time playing evil characters in games though as well. I really have to try at it. That's what always makes it hard for me to keep Edwin even though he is clearly at an advantage in both of the Baldur's Gate Games.
The power-player type of gamer that I am would totally go for Edwin in this situation. I've always figured though if I want the perfect mage for my party, I'm going to have to begin the game as one myself.
Xan is more like a buffer who needs fortitude and strength pots/spells to shine, Edwin is more like a glass cannon with lots of spells.
If you have an evil or neutral party, and need lots and lots of spells, get Edwin.
If you have a neutral or good party, then you might go for Xan, but stack up on fortitude pots and buff spells.
Imoen can be converted to mage by dualing her somewhere between lvl 4 and lvl 6. If you dual her faster, then you will garantee a powerful spellcaster with more HP then both of them can achieve in their single class. If you wait until you nearly reach the limit, then you get a very sturdy mage with lesser spells. There are a few items that add spells to a char, like the evermemory or later in BG2 there is a nice katana.
All in all, all viable options, some require more micromanagement then others.
Since you have your blade, identifying objects should not be a problem.
Edwin is amazing in BG2 love all his banter and his lines always make me laugh
Just no. His weapon is just flashy, but in his hands it is ineffective.
But why are we even talking about their melee abilities? The best part about Xan's lightsaber is the fire resistance because it means you can go nuts with fireballs.
All of this is fixed in 3e where elves regardless of class can use longswords, short swords, longbows and shortbows.
All four of the new NPCs go to a meeting point if you dismiss them, Neera and Dorn to the FAI, Rasaad to Nashkel, Baeloth to the forest outside of FAI. However, if you've gone through Neera or Dorn's starter combats, they are locked at the level you encountered them at. I have this trouble with Dorn all the time, as I don't want to dismiss a party member in the transitional screen. He's always level 1 or 2 back at the FAI when I go to pick him up at 4 or 5 myself.