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Help with Mages?

LRECLREC Member Posts: 68
edited August 2012 in Archive (General Discussion)
I'm trying to decide on what class I'll play as when I get BG:EE, and I want to try mage. I've played it a couple of times, but never that far. I've only beat BG1 with a Fighter and a Ranger.

I'm just wondering though, is playing as a mage ideal when Edwin is a much stronger mage, and you can't really offset the difference. I would like to play this character through BG2:EE, but I also like having Edwin and Aerie in my party.

Also, if anyone has links to Mage tips or anything, I would love that; I have no idea where to begin playing as a mage other than MAGIC MISSILES

Comments

  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    Hmm, I tend to play as a Mage/Thief most of the time, so I don't exactly know what the difference is with a full blooded mage, as in, which difference there is in the amount of spell slots etc. I have to warn you that playing as a Mage is far from easy. Mages tend to have the lowest amount of HP of all classes at the start, and start out with two spells. As for these spells, I highly suggest taking Sleep, as it is a good AoE spell for early in the game. As for the other spell, I usually take Magic Missile or Chromatic Orb. Both of them increase in strenght with leveling up. (check the description, must be in there somewhere) Make sure to have at least 17 Intelligence and a decent Constitution score. Dexterity migh also be important to decrease your chances of being hit and increase your ability in handling ranged weapons such as Slings or Throwing Daggers. I suggest spending one point on Staves, as you'll encounter some powerful staves throughout the games and one point in Slings, as their use of ammunition is more practical than Throwing Daggers. As for protection, make sure to give your character some Rings of Protection, as I'm sure you'll encounter some of them during your adventure. The rest will pretty much point out itself. Hope my post helped you a bit. Have fun! :)
  • FrozenDervishFrozenDervish Member Posts: 295
    edited August 2012
    ((# of mage)s x (# of spell slots)) / (total level of mages in party) + (# of party members) = the combined strength of voltron


    In case you didn't get that lots of mages will trivialize everything.

    Start with magic missile, sleep and slings/darts and use range to take down sleeping enemies as you gain levels add summons, protection from petrify, chromatic orb, and invisibility.

    After these it's up to you on how you wish to learn and play the class.
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    Also, having another Mage in your party can be quite useful, as you have double the 'firepower', so to speak. You can let Edwin remember offensive spells, while your own character remembers rather defensive ones, the other way around or a mix of both. Your character might seem pretty weak at the beginning, but don't worry, he/she will slowly grow into a killing machine. I remember how my Mage/Thief became pretty much untouchable by the end of Shadows of Amn. It's a bit tricky and you'll have to experiment a bit, but hey, if you don't like it, you can always start over and try out another class. Don't worry too much and just enjoy yourself. :)
  • Kitteh_On_A_CloudKitteh_On_A_Cloud Member Posts: 1,629
    It might also be a good idea to keep your Mage at a distance during fights...Never let him/her melee an enemy on a low level...But I think you already knew that. XD Patience is the key to succes! :)
  • LRECLREC Member Posts: 68
    @Kitteh_On_A_Cloud That's the plan! I loved using Edwin and Aerie in BG2, I just like the idea of roleplaying a mage :)

    For party members, should I be looking at Minsc, Edwin, Corin (can't remember his name), Kevren (once again, can't remember his name), Imoen, and one other?
  • RingoRingo Member Posts: 39
    The Journal of Elmonster is really all about maging in BG2, but I thought it was inspiring.
    http://www.baldurdash.org/journal.html

    You can always pick a sorcerer or a dual classed mage to gain some edge, and you wont be that far behind Edwin if you just take a normal specialised wizard. The power of your character is mostly how much you're willing to micromanage him/her.
  • XavioriaXavioria Member Posts: 874
    with "corin" and "kevren" did you mean Coran and Kivan? Because if you did, I say yes :)

    But anywho... for me... I've always tried to pair mage with fighter or thief if I was rolling one. Mage spells are great for altering the class a bit. Invisibility spells with thief for constant backstabbing (did this with Imoen plenty, it is quite amusing) or strong defensive spells with a fighter, like stone skins and then start hacking away!
  • LRECLREC Member Posts: 68
    @Xavioria THANK YOU! It was bugging me at dinner tonight :P It's even more embarrassing because I almost always have them in my party.
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