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Playing with a tank-deprived party

FingolfinFingolfin Member Posts: 7
in Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
Almost finished with BG1EE and will soon commence BG2EE, which will be even more fun. Contemplating a not so tanky party, mainly because I've always played tanky parties in the past, and find it a bit uninteresting. Here is my initial idea for a party:

Feanor (F/M)
Jaheira
Imoen
Rasaad
Haer'Dalis

This could be fun, I think. Will probably haul ass to spellhold, to get Imoen as quickly as possible. May be difficult, though, going through Underdark with a low level 5 character party. Too difficult maybe?

Comments

  • elementelement Member Posts: 833
    fighter/mage jahera, rasaad and haerdailis seems like a reasonable group of front liners to me
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    Fingolfin said:

    Almost finished with BG1EE and will soon commence BG2EE, which will be even more fun. Contemplating a not so tanky party, mainly because I've always played tanky parties in the past, and find it a bit uninteresting. Here is my initial idea for a party:

    Feanor (F/M)
    Jaheira
    Imoen
    Rasaad
    Haer'Dalis

    This could be fun, I think. Will probably haul ass to spellhold, to get Imoen as quickly as possible. May be difficult, though, going through Underdark with a low level 5 character party. Too difficult maybe?

    Err, F/M is the best tank in the game. F/D is up there too, with Iron Skins. Blade are amazing tanks, not too far behind the F/M. Rasaad is virtually unkillable late teens and beyond. Even Imoen can tank in a emergency.

    I'd say too easy, probably.
  • FingolfinFingolfin Member Posts: 7
    haha, when you put it that way. They just don't seem as tanky as, say, Korgan, Minsc, Sarevok etc
  • ZaknafeinBaenreZaknafeinBaenre Member Posts: 349
    if you want to do a true tank-less party, drop jaheira for cernd, but you might have to break her heart
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    Tanking is pretty much just the ability to be able to draw aggro and take the hits that come without dying. Given the aggro system in BG2 is pretty much "so who is closest?" the first bit is covered.

    Mirror Image, Stoneskins, Protection from Magic Weapons and Ironskins mean that most of your party are nigh-invincible to the average grunt. Even Bosses will struggle to land a hit on you with a sequencer or contingency or two.
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    You will be fine. The party looks good. Tord defeated the final ToB battle with an all-girls party in his Lilly Black blind LP.

    1) Wild Mage Charname with medicore stats.
    2) Viconia
    3) Mazzy
    4) Nalia
    5) Imoen

    (Jaheira got chunked shortly before... poor Jaheira... she died in my first playthrough too, to a vorpal hit.)
  • Stasis_SwordStasis_Sword Member Posts: 91
    edited January 2014
    I wouldn't say you're missing tanks, as much as your tanks require micro management.

    Your F/M and Haer'Dalis can take far more punishment than the tanks you listed thanks to: protection from magical weapons, improved invisibility, mirror image and other buffs. Jaheria is actually fairly sturdy especially with iron skins.

    I'll admit it's more effort than giving Korgan armor and clicking rage.
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    Fingolfin said:

    haha, when you put it that way. They just don't seem as tanky as, say, Korgan, Minsc, Sarevok etc

    That's because you're still thinking BG1 tanking. In BG2 (esp. ToB), tanking is stoneskin, mirror image, PfMW, etc.
  • FingolfinFingolfin Member Posts: 7
    FinneousPJ said:

    Fingolfin said:

    haha, when you put it that way. They just don't seem as tanky as, say, Korgan, Minsc, Sarevok etc

    That's because you're still thinking BG1 tanking. In BG2 (esp. ToB), tanking is stoneskin, mirror image, PfMW, etc.
    True. Let's rephrase: the party isn't tank deprived. It's just deprived of inflexible and boring tanks.
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    Jaheira is just as boring in a tanking role as korgan. Iron skins on and go whack some monsters. She's strong in melee, some good weapons in tob. She almost never gets to use spells in combat (busy fighting) except the swarms when necessary.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    Jaheira does also get Nature's Beauty @bob_veng. It's level 7 so only available late on, but a no save party-friendly AOE blind is pretty badass.
  • kryptixkryptix Member Posts: 741
    Well I do use iron skins heal and insects, also the hla spells sometimes. However with 22 str and spectral brand +5 with belm or club of detonation she does so much more damage in melee it's not worth it to use her as a caster.

    Your group is about as tanky as possible, your main tanks all have hardiness and skins jaheira has aof as well... The only way to tank any better is more mages...
  • FingolfinFingolfin Member Posts: 7
    Thanks, although Jaheira seems more like a spear type to me. Will give her Impaler eventually. Yes I know dual-wield scimitars etc. deals more damage at high levels, but I just want to see that little half-elf wielding a spear. (Hopefully nothing Freudian about that).
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    ^^

    I saw her as a quarterstaff type, and never used scimitar/shield or dual-wield... or even used slings until BG 2. So if u are doing the spear thing for RP reasons... Good on ya!

    But from a game mechanics perspective, spears (and halberds) are generally pretty bad in the BG games. 2 handed and not much more damage than 1 handed weapons which can be used with a shield or dual-wield.

  • FingolfinFingolfin Member Posts: 7
    Yes, I know. But she gets Spear of the Unicorn, Impaler, Spear of Withering and then Ixil's Spike +6 at Watcher's Keep. Never got to use any of them before, coz didn't have anyone proficient in spears.
  • SerpionSerpion Member Posts: 67
    Pure fighter/Ranger/Paladin are bad tanks in late game. You will get hits at 75% times and (if you play on insane) you tank will be dead after 5-6 hits. So without stoneskin and mirror image and PfMW you will get hard times.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    Fighters, Rangers and Paladins (and multis) get Hardiness as a HLA which will keep you alive longer. Pair this with Armor of Faith (Cleric level
    1 spell) for bonus Damage Reduction. While 65% Damage reduction is nothing to sneeze at, I'd rather have Stoneskins and Mirror Image as well.
  • kryptixkryptix Member Posts: 741
    Heindrich1988 said:

    ^^

    I saw her as a quarterstaff type, and never used scimitar/shield or dual-wield... or even used slings until BG 2. So if u are doing the spear thing for RP reasons... Good on ya!

    But from a game mechanics perspective, spears (and halberds) are generally pretty bad in the BG games. 2 handed and not much more damage than 1 handed weapons which can be used with a shield or dual-wield.

    I guess I kind of thought of her as a better female light skinned version of drizzt :)
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