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Need help with choosing a stronghold

Doom972Doom972 Member Posts: 150
edited August 2012 in Archive (General Discussion)
My character began as a fighter and then became a mage. Nalia offered me the lordship of de'Arnise keep. I'm not sure if I should take it or wait for the planar sphere. I have to make the choice now, or she disappears.
While I'm a mage, I really like the idea of my character becoming a lord.

Please help me choose a stronghold.
  1. Need help with choosing a stronghold122 votes
    1. de'Arnise Keep
      51.64%
    2. Planar Sphere
      48.36%
«1

Comments

  • FrozenDervishFrozenDervish Member Posts: 295
    The keep is nice, though I generally choose the sphere to blow up the apprentices.
  • eainterplayeainterplay Member Posts: 55
    From those choices, the keep offers much more with weekly gold, several unique events, more experience oppurtunites, and even a shop to boot! Still if I could choose any of the strongholds in the game it would be the playhouse beneath the Five Flagons. It is so cool, but the downside is you have to be a bard.
  • ShinShin Member Posts: 2,345
    There's a mod that allows multiple strongholds, as well as a few alternatives for how strongholds are handled by dual- and multiclasses.
  • BugratBugrat Member Posts: 118
    From a powergaming perspective, I would go with the mage one because you can get some really, really useful equipment doing the Planar Sphere missions. My memory might be flawed, but I don't remember getting anything useful from the de'Arnise Keep missions except experience and gold.

    The storyline on the fighter stronghold is a little better, but the hijinks that go on in the mage one have more entertainment value IMO.
  • eainterplayeainterplay Member Posts: 55
    While we are talking about strongholds, I've always wondered if you started as a class (say fighter) and then dualled to a cleric which temple would you serve under because you can't choose a kit (i.e. lathander, helm, or talos) when dualling to a cleric? Does your alignment affect it?
  • CoM_SolaufeinCoM_Solaufein Member Posts: 2,607
    de'Arnise Keep is my choice most of the time.
  • RajickRajick Member Posts: 207
    I tend to play a rogue so I always go with the thieves guild stronghold but I did play a fighter once for s*@ts and giggles and I really like de'Arnise Keep and there is a vary powerful flail the one that does fire acid and cold damage I believe amazing when facing trolls.
  • EldrythEldryth Member Posts: 56
    eainterplay said:

    While we are talking about strongholds, I've always wondered if you started as a class (say fighter) and then dualled to a cleric which temple would you serve under because you can't choose a kit (i.e. lathander, helm, or talos) when dualling to a cleric? Does your alignment affect it?

    Kitless Clerics always get Helm, iirc.
  • The_New_RomanceThe_New_Romance Member Posts: 839
    edited August 2012
    Exactly 50-50. Wow. I wouldn't have predicted *that*.

    By the way, the Five Flagons theater really *is* cool, although I have no idea what I'm doing and how the whole production is gonna turn out... and Bards in BG sure aren't as bad as their reputation. In BG1 you can use Chromatic Orbs and wands like a madman, and in BG2 you can be a blade and hack away shoulder to shoulder with Minsc. How unfortunate, however, that Nalia still doesn't think you're much of a "fighter type". I'd have loved me some castle, I mean isn't it every small boy's dream to have one? Guess I'll have to be a fighter-something as soon as BG:EE comes around.
  • Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861
    I'm Playing as a human Fighter-Mage-Thief at the moment (I used Gatekeeper to allow me to multi-class as a human) and have accepted the d'Arnise keep but haven't gone there yet. I didn't realise there were any side quests so have not bothered to visit. I'll have to go as soon as I escape from Spellhold ...
  • KharasKharas Member Posts: 150
    I say go for the keep as well.. A keep is just cool... now if you could use the sphere to roll around in Athkatla.. then it would be a completely different story "betray me will you bodhi.. say hello to my big rolling metal ball of death! "Splat"
  • Doom972Doom972 Member Posts: 150
    I decided to to keep the Keep. The items I can get by having the sphere will be replaced with more powerful items later on anyway, and the keep seems to offer more interesting stuff.
  • MornmagorMornmagor Member Posts: 1,160
    edited August 2012
    eainterplay said:

    While we are talking about strongholds, I've always wondered if you started as a class (say fighter) and then dualled to a cleric which temple would you serve under because you can't choose a kit (i.e. lathander, helm, or talos) when dualling to a cleric? Does your alignment affect it?

    @eainterplay depending on your alignment, if you're good you get approached by a cleric of Lathander for the cult of the eyeless, if you're neutral then a cleric of Helm comes and if you're evil then Talos. When you complete the quest, you get offered the "stronghold" if i remember correctly, in the temple that gave you the quest.
  • SceptenarSceptenar Member Posts: 606
    Both are incredibly good strongholds, but I prefer the Planar Sphere because I love mages and the sphere is conveniently located inside Athkatla, so it is a good place to stash the things I don't want to lug around, but might need later.
  • EilerEiler Member Posts: 93
    edited August 2012
    When I play fighter-thieves I take both available strongholds. Never needed a mod for that.
  • Doom972Doom972 Member Posts: 150
    Eiler said:

    When I play fighter-thieves I take both available strongholds. Never needed a mod for that.

    Multi-class or Dual-class?
  • EilerEiler Member Posts: 93
    Dual.
  • Roller12Roller12 Member Posts: 437
    I like De Arnise more from a gameplay view, quests and such. But planar sphere has better loot, if you have more than one mage in the party.
  • JediMindTrixJediMindTrix Member Posts: 305
    @Sceptenar I've always just used Bags of Holding or sold what I wasn't planning on using in the future heh. I've never used storage chests in BG.

    Neverwinter Nights, on the other hand... Persistent Multiplayer Storage FTW!
  • MooseChangerPatMooseChangerPat Member Posts: 148
    eainterplay said:

    From those choices, the keep offers much more with weekly gold, several unique events, more experience oppurtunites, and even a shop to boot! Still if I could choose any of the strongholds in the game it would be the playhouse beneath the Five Flagons. It is so cool, but the downside is you have to be a bard.


    @eainterplay You had me right up until you said the downside is you have to be a bard xD Man Bards are my favorite class of all time, don't be looking down on my bards!

    On a more related not, I think I broke the tie breaker for the time being but damn... this is a close poll o_O I would have to say the Castle because I really found the planar sphere WAAAY too uneventful. At least with the castle you get some interesting quests, some extra cash, a shop, and cranky peasants. xD That and you have to either kill or take Valygar for the planar shpere... ugh... I don't know why but I really don't like that character. Maybe it's because when I'm actually playing a mage he keeps telling me about how mages are evil and I'm like, "Dude! I'm right here!"
  • Roller12Roller12 Member Posts: 437
    Planar sphere stronghold has a ring which gives more mage spells/day as a reward, which pretty much is top level loot in the game.
  • MooseChangerPatMooseChangerPat Member Posts: 148
    @Roller12 yeah, but you already get one ring off of Lavok, and then you can get anonther spell ring off of one of the harpers at the harper hold if you have Jaheria and the harper hold quest stuff where they try to imprison you. Then if you also think about things like the Ring of Gaax or some of the other cool rings... do you really need another spell ring? o_O I mean even if you're taking multiple mages that seems excessive.
  • SceptenarSceptenar Member Posts: 606
    NineCoronas said:

    @Sceptenar I've always just used Bags of Holding or sold what I wasn't planning on using in the future heh. I've never used storage chests in BG.

    Neverwinter Nights, on the other hand... Persistent Multiplayer Storage FTW!

    The problem with that is that the bag of holding is found under Spellhold, while I usually complete all the quests in chapter two before ever going over there, so I do get laden with quite a bit of loot by then.
  • FillaFillasonFillaFillason Member Posts: 110
    eainterplay said:

    From those choices, the keep offers much more with weekly gold, several unique events, more experience oppurtunites, and even a shop to boot! Still if I could choose any of the strongholds in the game it would be the playhouse beneath the Five Flagons. It is so cool, but the downside is you have to be a bard.

    Downside? Bard is my favorite class!
  • DjimmyDjimmy Member Posts: 749
    Wow, my vote made the poll results equal. I choose the Planar Sphere. The atmoshphere there is epic/magic/tragic/time and space traveling... De'Arnise keep is awesome too. Why don't you choose both.
  • Doom972Doom972 Member Posts: 150
    Djimmy said:

    Wow, my vote made the poll results equal. I choose the Planar Sphere. The atmoshphere there is epic/magic/tragic/time and space traveling... De'Arnise keep is awesome too. Why don't you choose both.

    As I said, I already took the keep. I still have the Planar Sphere quest. I hope that at the end of it I'll get the Sphere as well.
  • BjjorickBjjorick Member Posts: 1,208
    lol he needs help picking a keep, and the results are perfectly 50/50. Great job guys, couldn't have planned it if we tried :)
  • KonabugaKonabuga Member Posts: 135
    Just use the mod that allows you to get all the strongholds for any class.
  • jhart1018jhart1018 Member Posts: 909
    I do the planar sphere quest and I do the De'Arnise Keep quests themselves. As far as which is a better stronghold, I'd go with the Keep. More interesting stuff to do after it's yours. The best stronghold, though, is the theater. It has the most stuff going on, and I think it's truly the most elaborate of the stronghold storylines. Yes, you have to be a bard to get it, but bards built well are badasses who can throw spells while wearing chain mail and stabbing people. Not to mention I finally discovered the joys of epic-level spike traps. They make the hardest battles in the game laughable--Kangaxx, the other lich in the building where you need a rogue stone to get through the door, Melisande and all her little friends... The possibilities are endless.
  • MuninMunin Member Posts: 95
    I went with the Keep because I have played it more times. Reading all of the posts, there are other choices
    I was not aware of. That's one of the things I love about this game. So many choices. I guess I never played a Bard, at least in BG2, so I didn't know the theater was an option.

    I will take me years to try all of the things I have learned in this forum. Come on Sept 18!
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