Best class and race for melee combat?

doneill2000

Ok so I am having a lot of inner fighting as to what class I should use for BG:EE. I have narrowed it down to 3 that I think would be good although I would be open to others, although this is strictly melee classes no mages or duel classing. So the 3 I thought might be good are: Paladin (Cavalier), Ranger (No kit base class, and I know its not really melee but its a exception.), and lastly Fighter (Base class or Kensai.). So I have been having issues with this because I absolutly love the bonuses you get as a Cavalier! I find the immunity to posin, charm, and fear to be very helpful even more so if I solo. I also find the smaller things like fire resistance helpful to a much smaller extent etc. Ranger I kinda like for the two weapon bonus and racial enemy, I am going to say that I rarely do a PC that is not a dual wielder. But I am afraid that the lower amount of health or the uselessness of ranged weapons I have along with a few other things is just not worth it. Next is indeed one that I am curious about. I have never played a Kensai and I think they are really cool. In theory. I am thinking that the eno armor penalty is just too much to ignore, and while they get some serious speed factor and increased damage, that is worrisome. Although I think it would fit in quite well seeing as I plan to duel wield. So please offer help and give me your opinons, and fill me in on Kensai. Also if I do use Kensai what is the best race for it? Paladin obviously Human because you cant be one unless. Elf for Ranger because of extra Dexterity. But I dont know for Kensai. I have heard Half Ogre is best but not completly sure. Would the Human be filling the shoes just as well? And lastly I would like to say Elf because of the bonuses to the sword and bow, but with the amount that a Kensai would hit I dont know if it would bee worth it. Also lastly I currently only have BG:EE, although I plan to get BG2:EE in a short time so I like to think of it as I will take the pain now and be squishy for a while in BG:EE rather than be beast in BG:EE and be weak in BG2:EE. I am looking for a powerhouse character that will do the marathon. Thanks in advance, cheers!

Wilbur

Half-orc if definitely the best choice for a kensai as he can get 19 str and con to start with. Also an elf kensai will not benefit from the bow bonus as a kensai can't use missile weapons.

[Deleted User]

Half-orc stat bonuses are certainly tasty, but personally I prefer a Dwarf for the shorty save bonuses. Being able to shrug off debuffs and controlling spells (not to mention poison) is very handy.

Kensai has AC problems early on in BGEE, but as soon as you get to Nashkel you can get the Shield Amulet, which largely solves them so long as you recharge it periodically. If you take a mage along with you, then once they get Spirit Armor you can cast that on Kensai to give them amazing AC, as it stacks with their AC bonus. If you need a ranged weapon, throwing axes and daggers are both solid options.

Ranger is just as melee as the other options, really (unless you go Archer kit). They can use the same armor, the same weapons, and get the same THAC0 as the other warrior classes. The bonus pips in two weapon style really help give you some flexibility in BGEE, as you can dual wield while still having specialization in a couple of melee weapons and a ranged weapon. In the long run every warrior classes gets enough pips to be able to dual wield without trouble, but for BGEE specifically that bonus helps you hit the ground running.

You've got the bonuses of the Cavalier down, but you should also note that they get cleric spellcasting at BG2EE levels, which opens up some great buff spells like Shield of Faith and Draw Upon Holy Might.

As far as which one to pick, it depends on your priorities. Of the three, Ranger is arguably the strongest in BGEE just because they can use bows, which are incredibly strong in BGEE. The Cavalier will be tough and hard to stop thanks to its immunities and can use Carsomyr in BG2EE, which gives very powerful utility and protections. The Kensai will ultimately hit much harder and much more accurately than the other two, though, and will get more attacks thanks to grandmastery.

doneill2000

So from what I hear bows and ranged weapons are pretty watered down in BG2:EE, and thats really the only reason I could see using it in BG:EE, although since I primarily duel wield it seems like that would be useless. So I think it would be fair that I could take that one off the list. As for Kensai would you say they get progressivly stronger in BG2:EE? Because apprently AC in BG2:EE doesnt matter quite as much. And I like the idea of having a large amount of bonuses to my dual wielding playstyle, although the lose of immunities that a Cavalier would have would be troublesome. In BG2:EE I hear mastery over weapons is nerfed so I dont know if it would be worth it to go Kensai. So my next set of questions are, which would win in a fight? Which is more powerful is BG:EE? Which is more powerful in BG2:EE? And lastly which would be best and easier to solo? Thanks in advance, cheers!

[Deleted User]

AC ceases to matter late in BG2EE; it's still fairly important from early to mid-game. That said, BG2EE gives you more options for overcoming that lack of AC. Weapon mastery was nerfed in vanilla BG2, but BG2EE has restored it to its proper bonuses.

Kensai would probably win in a fight. As far as "power" goes; the Kensai will put out a lot more damage than the Cavalier, but the Cavalier has better options against enemy mages, who are among the more dangerous opponents in BG2EE, thanks to Carsomyr. Cavalier will have an easier time soloing, due to the equipment available to them and their immunities, resistances, and better saves. In addition to Carsomyr, a Cavalier can use the Helm of Vhailor, which allows you to summon a copy of yourself to help in tough fights, as well as shields, which opens up the Shield of Balduran for dealing with beholders and the Shield of Harmony for when you need additional immunities.

doneill2000

Thats a lot of useful information thank you I know I am going to be using Cavalier now, although I have a question bout Kensai. I heard that if you duel class to Thief at lvl 7 or somewhere along the line you could get rid of the disadvantage of no armor, because you get a skill that allows you to be able to wear all armor or something like that. Is this true can you tell me what the effects of it are and when someone could get this? Also as a final question because I want to use more than just a melee combatant, what is your favorite class/kit and why?

[Deleted User]

It's true that if you dual class from Kensai to Thief you can get rid of their disadvantages with the Use Any Item high level ability. The trick is that you don't get any high level abilities until the 3 million XP mark. Depending on the size of your party, that could take a while, but if you are soloing, you would actually hit it fairly quickly. As the name implies, Use Any Item, doesn't just let you use armor, but shields, gauntlets, and a variety of items that are normally restricted to particular classes. If you don't mind waiting to dual class until BG2EE, I would actually dual class a Kensai to Thief at either level 9 or level 13, especially if you are soloing or running with a small party.

As far as favorite classes and kits go, I like playing a variety of classes too much to pick just one, but I really like multiclass characters. Cleric/Mages and Fighter/Anything is generally a good time. I also find Blades really fun.

doneill2000

Ok thank you for all your help I really apperciate it.