What is a good class and build for a total noob.

JasonPogo

so what is a good class and build to play to help me learn the game?

Icecreamtub

Depends on your likes and dislikes. ^^

An easy class to play would be a Fighter. ^^

Emptiness

No matter what class you play as your main character, your party will (ideally) contain members of other classes that fill the roles your main character does not. As Icecreamtub said, a good place to start is Fighter - but what class to pick is less important, in my opinion, than what NPCs to invite to join you. A balanced party is important, and the variety of NPCs available is sufficient to build a balanced party around a main character of any class.

Purudaya

Your party should have at least one mage, one cleric, and one thief (although there are parties that forgo the cleric). The remaining three slots are generally yours to fill as you see fit, but you should probably have at least one character who can absorb hits (tank) and one who can deal high amounts of physical damage. The first time I played through the BG saga was as an unkitted fighter, and it was a blast - so don't worry about which class you pick (except wizard slayer. don't pick a wizard slayer.)

Don't be afraid to move that difficulty slider around a little either if you're struggling

Illydth

Ok, lets get a bit more direct. For a first time player, stay away from spellcasters. Spell Mechanics are NOT difficult in the game, but they definitely require a level of micromanagement above other classes. Wizards are worse than Clerics since they require not only spell memorization but finding and inscribing spells in your spellbook.

Fighter/Warrior Classes are probably going to be the easiest, if a bit bland of a play. Rangers have a pretty good break out of abilities and, especially in BG:EE, the Archer class has A LOT of power. Paladins can eventually get the single most powerful sword in the AD&D Universe (make sure you spec 2H Swords!) and have the same good mix of abilities as Rangers get.

Thieves are fun to play, but given the shear number of them you'll run into in both BG:EE and BG2:EE it's probably not the most recommended class to play as a PC.

There are some other "offshoot" classes like Monks that can be fun to play but suffer early game. A Monk is an UBER POWERFUL character by the time you're ending your run of BG2:EE and into ToB, but they suffer A LOT in BG:EE.

If you really want a spellcaster for your starting character, Cleric is probably the easiest Spell Caster, and in both games you don't find an easy to get along with / powerful cleric early. Everyone's going to call me out on the Dark Elf, but there's a significant amount of pain to go along with the benefit with her...especially if you're playing a good aligned party (which you probably should on your first playthrough).

That leaves the last choice I'd give you which is a Mage class. If you really want the spell slinging power of a mage as your main character, I recommend a Sorcerer instead of a Mage. They're significantly less of a hassle than a Mage is (you don't have to hunt spell scrolls for sorcerers), but also a bit more limited.

To recap my class recommendations from easiest to hardest to play:

Fighter (Straight, no Kit) - A bit boring but definately easier than any other class.
Ranger - Fun straight up, but you can also try an Archer for some power.
Paladin - Good all around Character class like the Ranger Above. Slightly more Fun than a Warrior to play.
Monk - If you can put up with them in the early levels, they become really really good later.
Cleric - Easier to deal with because you get access to all spells without spell hunting. Reasonable Armor and Melee ability too.
Sorcerer - Skip mage on your first playthrough and play "mage light".

Time4Tiddy

I will agree that a Ranger is a great starting choice - my recommendation for a first playthrough really is any class that gets at least d10 hp per level up (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Barbarian) and then giving yourself at least 16 Con, preferably 18. You will want a lot of hp during your first playthrough so you aren't constantly dying. While mages and thieves can be a ton of fun for a more experienced player, it can be discouraging to a new player to die to one stab of an assassin's blade or one swipe from a diseased gibberling.

You have a lot more room for error and learning when your character can take several hits before going down.

Fafnir

My first playthrough of BG1 was with a Fighter/Cleric. It's a good balance between being having some tricks and support and still being able to bash heads.

cervanntes

Any class can do fine as long as you understand the strengths and limitations of that class. Just play what you think would be fun, but DO take the time to learn how to play the class before going too far -- the gate warden's illusionary battles is perfect for this. The most important thing is just knowing what your class can and can't do. Before you get too far into the game as a beginner, you are almost certainly going to be dragging a few NPCs around (trying to solo the game all the way as a total beginner is definitely not something I'd recommend), so you'll probably end up running a fighter type, a mage type, a cleric type, and a thief type before long anyway. With that in mind, there's no reason not to just play what you think would be the most fun for you. In my experience, people who enjoy their class always find a way to make it work well soon enough, while those that are just playing what they think (or are told) will be best don't do as well in the long run (unless they also enjoy their class).

Pokota

I would recommend Fighter first, definitely. Once you know how to survive to the end of Chapter 3 it's a bit easier to branch out into other classes.

@Illydth: Agreed to an extent regarding that one dark elf. Love her to pieces, but keeping her happy long-term in a crossed-alignment party is just too much of a chore, and getting her early enough for it to be worth it is almost worse for someone who isn't prepared to do the deed. The other two cleric NPCs... one of them has a hefty price tag for being a fairly mediocre cleric (much better suited stat-wise and personality-wise as a Pally, actually), and the other one is only available for the 2nd half of the game anyway.

Illydth

@Pokota: Agreed on the dark elf and the second cleric, but the mid cleric doesn't have to carry the heavy pricetag - a hint for that is to visit a temple and see if they might have something to help you.

(Sorry for being vague, but I'm definitely NOT trying to spoil any of the fun of the game).

booinyoureyes

JasonPogo said:

so what is a good class and build to play to help me learn the game?

I'd say an Inquisitor Paladin for newbies, except that you can get a powerful NPC with this class. I'd recommend getting him (Keldorn) since he makes mages (many difficult fights) much easier since he has two special abilities that you should absolutely abuse (dispel magic and true sight)

You should get some kind of fighter class. I find an Undead Hunter Paladin to be extremely useful, since vampires are common and an absolute PAIN to fight in bigger numbers (also one very strong one but I don't wanna spoil anything). Will also help in fighting hard Liches.
Its not the most powerful class overall (maybe a Cavalier is better or a pure fighter) but it is absolutely awesome for newbies and also fun to play as a roleplaying experience (Die infernal creatures! For Helm!)

moody_mage

Are you going to be playing BGEE1 or BGEE2?

booinyoureyes

decado said:

Are you going to be playing BGEE1 or BGEE2?

yeah oops! my post was for baldur's gate two, particularly the second part.
Inquisitors are still incredible, as are most paladins. Fighters are good and easy, but can be boring.

but NOTE: use ARCHERS (not necessarily the class, but a long-ranged weapon user of some sort). Ranged weapons in BG1 are the best, and make things easier for you. It will prevent you from constantly dying by not having to get in too close to hard hitting enemies. If you use this in conjunction with the Druid first level spell Entangle (traps enemies in place... though they can still shoot back with ranged weapon) or the Mage second level spell Web (traps AND freezes enemies) your life will be a lot easier. Just equip everyone with a bow or a sling or a throwing dagger, trap the baddies and just shoot them till they die. Concentrate on one baddie at a time, rather than spread the love. The faster you narrow down their numbers, the safer you will be. Also shoot spell-casters FIRST, since you can interrupt their spells with an arrow to the gut and that will make your life so much easier. If some spell-caster get off some mass-effect spell and make your party all either afraid, frozen, paralyzed, asleep or confused, you will find the game very frustrating!

Also use the spell Sleep very early in the game (gets less useful later) against archers especially. If you make the early game archers fall asleep you can manage your battle easier by having time for your spell-casters to do their thing uninterrupted.

But BGII is a WHOLE different story... archery is far less useful

BelgarathMTH

Since the game ends if your main character dies, a fighter type with 18 constitution and good armor is going to be the easiest to learn the game with. However, to succeed, you will eventually have to learn to handle all four of the main classes - fighter, thief, mage, cleric - in order to succeed, because you have to manage a party. (Soloing is only for experienced people who know the game inside and out.)