N00b question about which spells to use
backdragon
Member Posts: 4
I'm playing BG2 for the first time. I recently finished BG1 with my mage (hit the XP cap) and transferred him into BG2.
I'm looking for spell suggestions (mage and cleric) that I memorize and use on a regular basis. I have plenty of spell-casters, but I routinely find myself just using vanilla and (increasingly less useful) Magic Missile and Cure Medium Wounds. It feels silly to waste a memorization slot on things like "Remove Fear", but I also don't want to be unprepared.
Any tips for must-have spells? What do you suggest for offensive spells? Buffs?
Thanks in advance
I'm looking for spell suggestions (mage and cleric) that I memorize and use on a regular basis. I have plenty of spell-casters, but I routinely find myself just using vanilla and (increasingly less useful) Magic Missile and Cure Medium Wounds. It feels silly to waste a memorization slot on things like "Remove Fear", but I also don't want to be unprepared.
Any tips for must-have spells? What do you suggest for offensive spells? Buffs?
Thanks in advance
0
Comments
1) How to deal with (early game) enemy mages and melee enemies, including a discussion on useful buffs/protection spells.
I'm guessing that you were struggling against the sheer brute force of trolls and the disabling powers of mages. In terms of melee... it's all about buffs. In a straight up fight, early game Minsc, Anomen and Jaheira will struggle against trolls. However, if you cast 3 (or more) of the following 5 buffs: Chant, Bless, Defensive Harmony, Protection from Evil and Haste. The trio will chew through trolls with ease. Each of those spells only require one cast to buff everyone in the party, and any nearby allied summons. Clerics and Druids should never be thought of as heal-bots. They are primarily buffer/protectors. Prevention is better than cure!
You are probably struggling against spellcasters due to Horror, Confusion and Chaos. Which early game enemy mages love to use. Horror is very easily countered with Resist Fear. Confusion and Chaos (and stun effects) can be prevented with Chaotic Commands.
Now you might be wondering... wow that's 7 buffs/protection spells! How can I possibly have time to cast it all when there's a pack of trolls charging at me and a Yuan-ti Mage flinging Horror my way!
Well... make a distinction between long term buffs and short term ones. I always cast Protection from Evil and Resist Fear at the start of a session, if I remotely expect to fight. Both spells are fairly low level, protects the whole party and lasts a long time. Chaotic Commands is a bit trickier... it lasts a long time too, but it only protects one character, and it is lv5 and thus in competition with other great spells like Insect Plague and True Sight.
My solution is usually to protect just the frontliners, until I got enough lv5 divine spell slots to protect everybody. I HATED Chaos with an passion, and so sacrificed Insect Plague to protect my whole party almost permanently with Chaotic Commands. A more offensive-minded player might reason that if you use Insect Plague to shut down enemy spellcasters, you don't even need Chaotic Commands. A balanced approach is probably best.
That leaves the short-duration buffs... make a note of how long they take to cast. Defensive Harmony and Haste is quick, Chant and Bless are slow. So good practise is to always scout ahead with a thief, spotting enemies before they spot you (and finding/disabling traps)... If u got time to prepare, use Chant and Bless before u move in. If u are surprised, u can cast Defensive Harmony and Haste almost instantly. Haste does have the downside of causing fatigue though, so I usually only use it when I expect a tough battle.
With these spells mastered, the early game should become much easier, and no random Yuan-ti Mage will threaten you again!
2) Link to another thread with useful information.
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/29061/how-to-use-a-mage-sorc-effectively/p1
3) Links to useful guides for magic.
To have much success in BG 2, u need to start to learn the intricacies of the magic system. Here's 2 links I found very useful (which don't contain plot spoilers). Your BG 1 anti-mage strategies simply don't work anymore. Now every mage you run into will pop Mirror Images and Stoneskin, so Magic Missiles cannot reliably disrupt them, and pretty soon you'll be running into Contingencies, Spell Turning, Globe of Invulnerability, Mislead and worse...
Your formerly devastating AoE spells like Fireball and Cloudkill, and Disabling spells like Sleep and Web, will gradually become nearly useless, at least without some help from Lower Resistance, Greater Mallison, Doom etc...
http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/258273-baldurs-gate-ii-shadows-of-amn/faqs/11334
http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/258273-baldurs-gate-ii-shadows-of-amn/faqs/13870
It's a lot of reading to do in one go, and it's only one (very experienced) player's opinions, but it does provide a very useful guideline, and also an insight on how or why a spell might be useful or not.
Give yourself a chance to digest it bit by bit. I learnt spells 1 level at a time, usually just up to the level of spells I can cast with my most proficient caster. If I pick up higher level scrolls, I just store them until I've read up on them later.
Slowly developing my own magic strategy and preferences is one of the things I've enjoyed the most about BG 2, and will help immensely to beating this game without cheating or cheese.
ps: I would recommend that you move this thread to the "New Players (NO SPOILERS!)" part of the forum if you want to avoid spoiler'ing your first playthrough. It's your call though.
I intended to give Cleric spells in this post too but I'm just too lazy right now, so I'll skip them for now. If nobody else offers good advice I'll post them later.
EDIT: I felt this was worth a disclaimer- I am by no means an excellent player, so there are probably awesome spells that I don't mention here. These should be pretty bread and butter picks, though.
Mage picks:
==Magic Missle. There is little else that cuts it in BG2. Guaranteed damage is never bad, and it can interrupt casters if they don't have spell protections up.
==Chromatic Orb can down most any enemy in the game, but you really need to use spells like Doom, Greater Malison, etc. to take advantage of it. Otherwise it's almost totally inferior to Magic Missle.
LEVEL 2
==Glitterdust/Web are potent disablers.
==Mirror Image is one of the better defensive spells in the game.
==Invisibility is great to cast on a Thief, since they can use Detect Traps and Pick Locks without breaking it. In BG2 you'll run into enemies that can dispel it, though, so it loses usefulness.
LEVEL 3
==Melf's Minute Meteors and Skull Trap are my go-to damage spells for most of either game. Learn the radius for Skull Trap and it won't let you down.
==Dispel Magic is better on Clerics (faster level progression, less competition from better spells at level 3) but I keep 1 around just in case.
==Haste is also pretty great, an extra APR for each of your fighters can't be ignored.
LEVEL 4
==Stoneskin is Mirror Image on steroids, definitely one of the best defensive spells in the game.
==Improved Invisibility makes you immune to single-target spells for its duration, but watch out for True Sight.
==Greater Malison is a really good opener for tough fights, since it increases the power of the rest of your arsenal.
LEVEL 5
==Chaos is my favorite disabler, it's AoE and has a great save penalty. It's virtually guaranteed to take at least one enemy out of a tough group fight.
==Breach is also insanely useful, lets your frontliners shred Mages.
==Spell Immunity is excellent for a few enemies but is not that useful against mooks.
LEVEL 6
==Death Spell instantly kills Umber Hulks, Yuan-Ti, and any summoned creatures.
==Protection from Magic Weapons and Stoneskin combined make you totally immune to anything that's not a spell.
==Improved Haste is the best single-target buff in the game, effectively doubles the damage of any Fighter.
==Pierce Magic is a good protection remover and also helps with magic-resistant enemies.
==Chain Lightning is good if you need more direct damage, but I generally don't run it.
==True Sight. Clerics get an identical spell earlier on, and thieves are even better with 100 in Detect Illusions. You do need at least one member who can perform this role, though, so it's worth mentioning.
==Mislead can get very broken if used correctly, but I don't generally like that style of play. You can look up Mislead tricks if you're so inclined.
LEVEL 7
==Warding Whip and Ruby Ray are great protection removal spells. Combined they can get rid of virtually any combination of spell protections.
==Mordenkainen's Sword is one of the best summons, it's immortal versus most enemies (but falls to Death Spell so watch out).
==Power Word: Stun has a high HP limit and there's no save. Stun equals death so this is basically a kill spell.
==Project Image effectively doubles your spellbook. One of the most powerful spells in the game.
==Spell Sequencer has a ton of tactical options- look up some tricks for this one.
LEVEL 8
==Abi Dalzim's Horrid Wilting is Skull Trap+, and is party friendly! It averages 90 damage to every enemy in the area, which is devastating.
==Pierce Shield is an improved Pierce Magic, but you'll need Ruby Ray to get rid of Spell Trap against tough Mages.
==Simulacrum isn't as good as Project Image in my opinion but still pulls off some pretty impressive feats.
==Spell Trigger is a better Spell Sequencer.
LEVEL 9
==Chain Contingency is deliciously exploitable. Cast it with 3x Abi Dalzim's in the middle of combat for a nuke.
==Spellstrike gets rid of every spell protection in the game unless the target has Spell Shield. Useful, but I prefer Ruby Ray/Warding Whip.
==Time Stop. Gives you 6 free rounds to unload your arsenal. If you use Shapechange: Mindflayer right after, you can kill most any enemy in the game since you're guaranteed to hit.
==Spell Trap blocks enemy magic and refills your low-level spells.
LEVEL 10 (HLA's)
==Dragon's Breath is the ultimate damage spell. Ignores magic resistance but deals fire damage, which can be a pain against enemies resistant to that.
==Improved Alacrity eliminates the delay between spells. Time Stop + Improved Alacrity = win any encounter.
==Summon Planetar is the best summon spell in the game. It's a great Fighter and has a ton of useful spells- of particular note are the 3 Heals, 3 Raise Deads, and 3 Insect Plagues. Basically adds a high-level Fighter/Cleric to your party for the duration.
As I said for the Mage spells, I'm not an excellent player but these are the spells that I tend to memorize. I heavily favor Fighter/Priest classes and my picks reflect that mentality, but I note appropriate spells for other builds as well. Priests are a lot less flexible than Mages- they buff, dispel, and heal well but don't have much outside of those roles, which is a good reason to multi/dual with another class. Anomen, Jaheira, and Aerie are all good NPC picks for a Priest for this reason.
Cleric/Ranger multis and Ranger->Cleric duals get all of priest spells in the game with the exception of the two Druid-exclusive HLA's.
Priest picks:
==Armor of Faith is an awesome defensive spell for Fighter multis and duals. Combined with other damage reduction effects you can create extremely tanky characters. For backrow Clerics this isn't as good.
==Cure Light Wounds is measly but with 18+ Wisdom you do get a lot of them. If nothing else they cut down on rest time.
==Sanctuary (Cleric) is usually worth a slot or two. It's like Invisibility but allows certain actions, like healing or opening containers (useful for certain dungeon security systems!).
==Remove Fear (Cleric) is situational but you should definitely save at least 1 for "oh shit" moments.
==Doom takes too long to cast by itself, but Cleric/Mages can load it into sequencers to do some pretty neat things.
LEVEL 2
==Draw Upon Holy Might (Cleric) is an incredible spell, boosting your damage, HP, and AC all in one. Essential for frontline Clerics. Memorize a lot and use often, there's hardly any competition at this level.
==Silence 15' Radius (Cleric) is a nice way to open against multiple casters in a clump.
==Hold Person (Cleric) is alright, but the save means it's way less useful as the game goes on.
==No sugarcoating it, Druids get shafted here. I guess you can burn spells on Find Traps and Resist Fire/Cold.
LEVEL 3
==Animate Dead (Cleric) summons a very powerful and magic-resistant Skeleton Warrior at higher levels. Quality summon that scales really well with level.
==Holy Smite (Cleric) is the closest you're going to get to Skull Trap. Not bad, and the Blind effect can be surprisingly useful, espcially against casters. Keep in mind that it only affects evil targets, so is party-friendly (depending on your party). Evil Clerics really miss out here.
==Dispel Magic is definitely worth a few slots here.
==Cure Medium Wounds is mundane but effective, but memorize other spells first unless you really need healing.
==Call Lightning (Druid) is a good spell, but you can't use it indoors, so it's kind of limited.
LEVEL 4
==Protection from Evil 10' Radius (Cleric) is great whenever an enemy caster uses Gate and also doubles as a good general crowd buff. Watch liches waste dozens of rounds fighting their own Pit Fiends!
==Defensive Harmony fills the same role here. Lightning-fast cast time but the duration is significantly shorter than PfE10'.
==Lesser Restoration (Cleric) is great for any of the more dangerous undead, of which there are several in this game.
==Call Woodland Beings (Druid) gets you a Nymph with various disabling spells and Mass Cure, a good level 5 spell. I like to cast it after a battle, use Mass Cure, and then let it unload its offensive spells on the next battle.
LEVEL 5
==Chaotic Commands prevents against the most dangerous disabling effects in the game. Load up on these. Very useful against powerful enemies.
==Iron Skins (Druid). This is one of THE reasons to play Druid. It's the same as the Mage spell Stoneskin (Level 4), but with a longer casting time. This spell turns Fighter multis and duals into juggernauts. The duration is 12 hours, so definitely cast it out of combat.
==Insect Plague (Druid). This is the OTHER reason that you play Druid. No save and affects multiple targets. 100% spell failure is the big deal here- cast this on an enemy Mage and they are completely helpless for 6 rounds. Too bad it doesn't ignore Magic Resistance.
==Mass Cure is an effective healing spell that scales with level. Druids should definitely skip this in favor of Call Woodland Beings (Level 4) since they get other powerful spells here.
==Righteous Magic (Cleric) is a truly excellent buff for Fighter multis and duals. Gives you the STR part of DuHM (Level 2) and makes every attack do maximum damage for the duration. Also give a minor HP boost.
==Raise Dead (Cleric) is fine, but since the target only has 1 HP when raised you'll still have to use other spells/resources to get them going. Avoid casting in combat as allies drop their items upon death.
==Flame Strike (Cleric) is one of the only single-target damage spell that Clerics get and it's pretty good, but it has some serious competition at this level. Good for backrow Clerics, but melee Clerics should focus on buffs instead.
==True Seeing is identical to the Mage spell True Sight (Level 6). You need some detection, but there are a lot of options to get this effect. Thieves with 100 in Detect Illusion make this spell useless.
LEVEL 6
==Heal is your one-stop for cure spells. I have no problem devoting all of my spells at this level to Heal.
==Wondrous Recall is situational, but can be quite good. If you make sure to only use level 5 spells before casting, you can extend the usefulness of your priest very effectively.
==Blade Barrier (Cleric) does nice damage over a good duration, but park your allies away since it's not party-friendly.
==Conjure Fire Elemental (Druid) is a quality summon. Good HP and strikes as a +4 weapon, so can hit virtually any enemy in the game. Good for rounding out slots at this level.
LEVEL 7
==Resurrection (Cleric) brings allies back to life with full HP. You should try to avoid dying, though.
==Shield of the Archons is a decent spell protection, but it's the only one that divine casters get. Save one for a tough mage battle to even the odds.
==Nature's Beauty (Druid) is a save-or-die spell with a bonus- any enemy that survives the spell is permanently blinded (no save), which is awesome against enemy casters. It's got a short range and a long casting time, so use carefully.
==Gate (Cleric) summons a neutral Pit Fiend, so you must prepare with PfE10' (Level 4) to protect yourself. The Pit Fiend is good fodder, since it has high HP and a lot of immunities- let it draw attention and then strike.
QUEST SPELLS (HLA's)
==Elemental Summoning is a pretty potent conjuration spell, with a 30% chance of getting an Elemental Prince. Druids should pick this up as it unlocks Greater Elemental Summoning, but Clerics should probably pick up Summon Deva instead.
==Greater Elemental Summoning (Druid) guarantees getting an Elemental Prince of fire, earth, or air. This is the best summon that Druids get.
==Energy Blades are sort of a souped up version of the Mage spell Melf's Minute Meteors (level 3). Mages get this one as an HLA too, but since Priests get less damage spells it's more useful here. At level 20+, this averages at about 260 damage against a single target in a little over 2 rounds. Definitely not shabby. Fighter multis and duals get less oomph out of this since they're already very capable damage dealers.
==Summon Deva (Cleric). The best Clerical summon. Not as good as a Planetar, but still solid.
==Mass Raise Dead (Cleric) is worth mentioning if you face frequent party deaths but shouldn't take up more than 1 slot.
also total lie!
Chaotic Commands x3
Iron Skins x2
Insect Plague x2
Righteous Magic x1
I have 22 Wisdom, so I've got 2 bonus slots at this level compared to normal. You can definitely adjust these numbers if you're metagaming- Chaotic Commands is definitely not required for certain areas of the game (although it is amazing at other areas), so you can sub in additional Righteous Magics or Mass Cures. Since I load up on DuHM at level 2, I don't need to take Righteous Magic though.
Myself I'd probably recommend Greater Restoration over Resurrection because it has a casting time of 3 (unlike say Resurrection and Heal's casting time of 9) and fully heals the target on top of healing a wide variety of ailments. It won't bring someone back from the dead but its pretty decent at stopping them from getting to that point.
Earthquake is good as a means of knocking out enemies. -6 to save against is fairly difficult. You just have to make sure allies aren't in the vicinity when the first quake hits. After that you have 3-4 rounds to kill any unconscious enemies (without having to worry about them fighting back).
Firestorm doesn't deal a massive amount of damage but it does bypass magic resistance. So thats a plus. Both it and Earthquake have a really long casting time though.
Regeneration heals 18 health/round for up to a turn. Its a huge amount of healing and certainly worth taking if you are looking at melee fighting in particular.