Unbalancing Items

Brunachos

So, there is a couple items in BGII that really don't fit; if you use them the game became so easy (save for a few boss battles) that I simple chose to ignore them. The one that, in my opinion, better ilustrates this, is the cloack of mirroring. Even with the change that cames with ToB (it only absorbs spells rather than deflect them) it is overpowering: it just makes all the wizards in the game as easy as to break nuts; so, my policy is to never use it. Anyone here does the same? Is there any other stuff that you guys think deserves the same treatment?

CTKnightOwl

Protection from Undead Scroll (how can a super intelligent Lich not figure out what is killing it?)

Staff of the Magi (invisible, attack, invisible, attack, enemy stands there stupidly getting hit over and over again until they die...and dispel magic with each hit? Don't even get me started about the Spell Trap ability)

Maybe if they tweaked the AI to where they would try to run away or cast dispel magic(if they can) instead of just standing there taking hit after hit.

Skaffen

Shield of Balduran vs. beholders.

I still use it though - they cheese, I cheese!

hearn34266

Silver Sword is nasty. I killed the black dragon and the green dragon (TOB) both with the first hit.

CLsdlt80

The thing about the shield, and I read this from some other board member and agreed with the statement, is that it's cheese both ways: with the shield it's cheese against the beholders, and without the shield, fighting them, it's cheese against you...

Bercon

I'm fine with everything except Cloak of Mirroring, I never use it because it breaks the game. Staff of Magi I usually patch to not have the invisibility effect on equip.

Brunachos

What about the robe of Vecna? I like it... don't know if it is just the way I play, but it is not that unbalancing for me, at least not in TOB.

ifupauline

The staff of magi is still all right, I think the worst is shield of balduran robe of vecna and cloak of mirroring yeah...

jackjack

Carsomyr

mumumomo

The robe of vecna is the item that makes the all improved alacrity so OP. Without it, arcane casters (sorc especially would not be so OP)

elminster

I happily use all of the items mentioned here except the Shield of Balduran. I guess I've never felt it was worth the cost/inventory space and I'm not inclined to have people in my party using shields in the first place.

Blackraven

Many people consider Vhailor's Helm overpowered especially if you are a mage dual or multiclass with high level spell scrolls in your quickslots. Your simmy can use those those spells without the scrolls being consumed.
I don't have any real problem with it though. Nor with the other items mentioned for that matter.
After all these years I guess I'm still not that much of a crack at the game to be against those items. At the same time I normally play with an item randomiser, so it often happens that I won't be able to find certain items (as happened in my last BG2 playthrough for example with the staff of the magi).

Skaffen

I usually give the helm to a fighter who cannot cast simulacrum, e.g. Mazzy as a second archer or Keldorn for a second Carsomyr.

The high level spell scroll and abuse is of course from the underlying spell and not related to the helm (I switch it off in SCS) but there is another interesting Simulacrum exploit: even though the level gets reduced for available spells, HLA's stay! So e.g. Keldorn's clone can gate in a second deva.

Blackraven

I tend to use the helm in the same way.

vangoat

Speaking of unbalanced items, does anyone know where the cloak of mirroring and robe of vecna are in SCS?

I know they got moved to ToB and Gromnir now drops vhailor's helm.. but I don't know where

bbear

Staff of Power is pretty op too. The ability Lightning Bolt of Paralyzation has no saving throw for the stun effect and lasts for 5 rounds.