BG2 - Flail or Dual Wield for Dwarven F/C

bjorne

Anyone have an opinion on whether to start working towards Flail or Dual Wield in Baldur's Gate 2 for a Dwarven Fighter/Cleric?

Character is imported from my BGI playthrough, and has no Dex (but 21 Wis, 19 Str, and 20 Con thanks to tomes). I'm on Ipad and probably won't take the time to edit his proficiencies through a computer, so I'm currently stuck with Weapon and Shield Style x 2, Hammer x 2, and Mace x 2. I keep hearing about dual wielding and using a flail (Flail of Ages). Not sure how many proficiencies I'll get in BG 2, whether I'll ever again find gauntlets of dexterity, the flail or the special hammer everyone talks about. Going to try and stay away from actual spoilers to some degree since it will be my first and likely only playthrough (played BG I when it first came out, but never BG2). Any thoughts on what will most likely be most beneficial?

FinneousPJ

You should have enough points to go flails and dual wield over the rest of the game, so problem solved... I would start with * Flail, then max out DW.

Corvino

I'd stick with a shield until you have at least + in Flails and ++ in Dual Wield. This will take quite a while to work out fully, but is something you could aim for by late game.

You could very viably stick with Hammers and Maces and just bump up your dual-wield score. That way you should be able to competently dual-wield by Fighter level 12 - but this will still be about halfway through the Shadows of Amn portion of BG2. Dual wielding Hammers on its own is a very solid proposition. You can then pick up flail proficiency at your leisure.

The other option is to stick with shields for most of the game and start putting points into Flails early on. Shields aren't as optimal as dual-wielding but they'll do pretty nicely for most of the game. As with the "start with dual-wield" option, you can then go for DW once you've got pips in Flails.

TL;DR: You could stick with shields, hammers and maces happily. Or you can build up flails or dual wield in either order. Any of the above is good.

Plus, you get style points for Dwarven F/C.

bjorne

Thank you both for your thoughts.

TwoWayFinesse

I would put 2 stars in dual first, as the extra attack is usually better than using a shield.

then 2 stars in flail. FoA is one of the best weapons in the game, and you can buy another excellent one for the 'off' hand.

booinyoureyes

I feel like Defender of Easthaven is better for defense in the offhand than any shield.

CrevsDaak

booinyoureyes said:

I feel like Defender of Easthaven is better for defense in the offhand than any shield.

And Jan Jansen's Coat, stacked with Hardiness and Ascension last Evil power, with the Belt of Inertial Barrier you are completely immune to physical damage, something more to say?? Just only if F/C/T were available, you could reach even more, and heal yourself with enemy hits.

Another thing you might consider for later game are War Hammers and Maces.

bjorne

Thanks everyone. Think I'm going to go for Dual Wield first and then worry about flails if and when I get there. I'm sure I'll continue to toy with the idea of generating a new character to do BG2 with, but finishing everything with the same guy seems nice.

fighter_mage_thief

It's a shame you won't be able to use killsw01.

KidCarnival

What levels are you currently, and which quests have you done so far? I'd probably opt for taking care of your dex issue first (there are dex gauntlets, but it seems you don't want spoilers, so not saying where). You give up AC when you start dual wielding and won't have stellar THAC0 without pips in either Flail or Two Weapon Style; maxing dex cushions the switch in the beginning.

Corvino

AC does still make a big difference through SOA, and there's nothing wrong with keeping your shield on a low Dex character as @KidCarnival says.

As a Dwarf using Hammers and Shields - take a trip to scenic Trademeet. Take the family, do some adventuring and souvenir shopping, you may find something you like.

KidCarnival

I admire this subtle hint, @Corvino.

As a (part) cleric, you may also want to take a look at the local temples in Atkathla and hang out with fellow worshippers. As a dwarf who ultimately desires to dual wield, the temple district is worth investigating, though perhaps after the trip to Trademeet.

bjorne

Just out of the first dungeon and very early in the game. Just hit 7 Fighter/8 Cleric. I'm a very slow player as I tend to explore a lot, am playing on an Ipad, and have limited play time. Going to stick with maces and hammers while I work on dual wield and then, eventually, flails. Might look up the dex gauntlets. Feels wrong, but I had actually hoped I'd be keeping them from the first game. Ha. Thanks again everyone.

Rhyme

TwoWayFinesse mentioned it in passing, but I'd highly recommend only putting 2 pips in Two Weapon Fighting before you switch over and invest in flails. The third pip does very little for you, and if you're using a flail you'd much rather have 2 in flails and 2 in two-weapon than 1 in flails and 3 in two-weapon.

2 pips in Two Weapon Style first.
Then 2 pips in Flails.
THEN the 3rd pip in Two Weapon Style (or, if you prefer, invest in a different weapon style).

Demonoid_Limewire

You can always dual wield, both Flail (of the ages) and Warhammer (runehammer/crom fayer)...

KidCarnival

bjorne said:

Just out of the first dungeon and very early in the game. Just hit 7 Fighter/8 Cleric. I'm a very slow player as I tend to explore a lot, am playing on an Ipad, and have limited play time. Going to stick with maces and hammers while I work on dual wield and then, eventually, flails. Might look up the dex gauntlets. Feels wrong, but I had actually hoped I'd be keeping them from the first game. Ha. Thanks again everyone.

About the dex gauntlets: Spoiler-free, you'll find them if you explore the temple district, which is a reasonable thing to do for a fighter/cleric. The quest isn't one of the easier ones, and I wouldn't experiment with weapons (or switching to dual wield) during it on low levels. Maybe check out the fighter stronghold first (as multi, you can take it or turn it down to get the cleric one later), get some loot that will be of interest for your plans, some levels, then investigate the temple district. With that, you don't have to look things up and possibly spoil your roleplay; makes sense for your class and you won't wait too long for the items you aim for.