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First playthrough

Socks_WielderSocks_Wielder Member Posts: 2
in General Discussion (Spoiler Warning!)
Hello all,

I bought this game quite some years ago. I just had more time on my hands lately so I decided it was about time I played it. I do not have the EE version though. I had some interrogation that I'm sure some of you can answer.

I'd like to know what are the main difference between the 2 (EE version vs original)? I know I have no Monk class at the character creation. But there are more than that I'm sure :p.

I was thinking of going with a ranger with bows but read bows fell off later on in BG2 so thought I could try a mage instead since they seem hard to come by. Mages seem like one of the harder class to play on our first go though?
Are thiefs necessary to complete the game for the first time. As in will I just die over and over from traps if I don't know where they are and have no thief.
I'm not a big fan of dual class even if they're very good. They don't appeal to me that much as far as reality and RP goes.
I'm more of a good type which is why I thought about a mage in the first place seeing the stronger ones weren't good.

My first thought for a party was Paladin, Fighter, Archer, Mage, Cleric and thief. Seems Minsc is a good fighter despite being a ranger is what I read. Then his lady fried thingy as a mage, Imoen as a thief, the paladin guy. So I'd either be an archer or a cleric it seems... I know one NPC is a pretty strong archer and archer aren't a big necessity in BG2 so I could replace that with another fighter or mage once I'm there. Then again I could just play a ranger all the way and be slightly weaker at the end of BG2 which is fine with me.

I'm just not sure if playing a cleric only is all that fun as a first playthrough. I'm not too sure what to get with them. Also I was wondering if there was any paladins in BG2 to get? I might just start a paladin or a ranger at this point unless people highly recommend a cleric.

Knowing that I was wondering what you guys would recommend for an original BG1-2 game. Should I aim for 6 members for the first time?

Comments

  • WolkWolk Member Posts: 279
    Go with what seems the most fun to you! Every type of character is fun to play and also really powerful. If you don't like it just restart the game. You will however need a thief in your party. More so on a first playthrough.

    The EE ads kits and narrower weapon profeciencies (you have to become proficient in a single type of weapon instead of a group) which are things proper to BG2. In BG1, you don't have kits, only base classes. You can however change your kit and weapon proficiency when you import to BG2. You can then start with a ranger using bows in BG1, then import to BG2, pick a kit or not and redistribute your points. I suggest, even if you don't take the arcger kit, that you still put some pips in bows because it is always useful to have a ranged weapon at some times.

    The "Paladin, Fighter, Archer, Mage, Cleric and Thief" party is good. Just so you know, Paladin and Fighter are prety much the same thing, so is Ranger.They can all wear the best armor, use every weapon and get extraordinary strengh (18/01-18/00) fighter gets better weapon specialisation, palladin gets a few spell like abilities while the ranger gets hide in shadow (light armor only) and a charm animal ability. Also keep in mind that "Archer" isn't a class, merely a ranger kit you can't get in vanila BG1. "Archer" is more a role in that case. Someone who uses a bow or another ranged weapon. A thief or bard can fill that role perfectly.

    Finaly, don't ask too many questions on the forum: enjoy the game!
  • shawneshawne Member Posts: 3,239
    Hello! Welcome to Baldur's Gate - may you enjoy your visit. :)

    There are two main differences between the EEs and the originals - mod support and technical requirements.

    The originals take a bit of work to get running - you need to install a Fixpack, for example. On the other hand, there are many, many content mods that are currently compatible only with the originals: new characters, new quests, new items and so on. You can find some essential recommendations here. Note that one of them, "Baldur's Gate Trilogy", allows you to run BG1 in BG2's engine, which means you actually can have the Monk class at character creation. :)

    Now, the EEs are simpler to run, in the sense that many of the fixes have already been integrated - it takes less effort to install and play. And they also have new content: six new party members in total (Dorn il-Khan, Neera, Rasaad yn Bashir and Baeloth Barrityll in BG1; Dorn, Neera, Rasaad, Hexxat and Wilson in BG2). Unlike most mod content, Beamdog was able to get voice actors for these particular NPCs, some of which are very, very good.

    However, both EEs also have their share of bugs (though BG:EE is in a far better state than BG2:EE), and support hasn't been that great lately. Also, while quite a few mods have been made compatible with the EEs, many haven't.

    As to your specific questions:

    1. As a rule, Fighters or Paladins tend to be easiest for first-timers: click on the enemy and hit it until it dies. :) Mages require a bit more planning and tactical thinking (ie: which spells to cast, when to cast them, etc.).

    2. Thieves are absolutely necessary for most of BG1 and BG2: as you say, traps can absolutely obliterate a party, but you also have plenty of locked treasure chests and doors that need looting! Fortunately, there are quite a few thief party members - Imoen, Alora and Coran (Good), Skie and Safana (Neutral) and Montaron and Tiax (Evil). In the second game, you have Yoshimo and Jan (Neutral), Imoen and Nalia (Good, though they're dual-classed mages, which means their thief skills don't improve unless you give them items), and Hexxat (in the EEs).

    3. You don't have to dual-class anyone if you don't want to!

    4. If you want a Cleric NPC in the first game, Branwen is very easy to recruit; in the second game, you have Anomen and/or Aerie.

    5. There is indeed a paladin in BG2 - his name is Keldorn, and he's considered one of the most powerful Good party members. :) That said, having two paladins in a party is a perfectly viable strategy, so you can still be one if you like.

    6. A full party is usually preferable for starting out: EXP comes more slowly (because it's split six ways) but it means you can delegate specific tasks to each party member. The typical balanced party is two Fighter-types on the front lines (to deal with enemies head-on), one Thief (to handle traps and locks), one Cleric (for healing) and two Mages (one for support casting, Haste and such, and the other for burning your enemies with exploding fireballs!)

    Good luck!
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,317
    Dwarf fighter/cleric multiclass would be a pretty easy character to play as well. Its an alternate to a paladin.
  • mumumomomumumomo Member Posts: 635
    Bows are indeed the best choice for BGEE. Even if they are somewhat lacking in BG2EE, you will have enough weapon proficiencies to change to a melee weapon then.

    Thieves are indeed much needed. However you don't need more than one. Even a multi or dual class is enough since their only really needed skill is find traps (open locks and HIS/MS can be duplicated by magic, pickpocket is half useless and can be boosted through potions, set trap is very nice but not really needed)


    I am not sure i would start with a party of 6 since it tends to make the game significantly harder than with a party of 4 (due to slower xp progression) and the poor pathfinding can lead to frustration.

    I would do something like :

    2 fighter types (fighter, monk, paladain, ranger, barbarian)
    1 thief (as part of a multi or dual)
    1 arcane caster (2 if possible)
    1 divine caster (also part of multi/dual)

    That's 5-6 roles to handle but it can be done with 4 characters with multi/dual class.

    Something like :
    1 mage/thief
    1 divine/fighter
    1 pure arcane
    1 pure fighter

    There is sufficient flexibility in terms of NPC (especially in BG2EE) for you to do this kind of party whatever your CHARNAME class.
  • Socks_WielderSocks_Wielder Member Posts: 2
    Well to be fair I had already started a game as a ranger, had rolled a pretty decent roll with 18/00 and all 18 except Wisdom and Int or something like that. (Wasn't too sure if having a low charisma was bad for recruiting members and things like that so I didn't want to risk it). Right now I have a party of 6 and might just stick with it. I recruited the paladin when I stumbled upon him by pure luck, I have Imoen, I just got Minsc and the quest to get his mage friend and the 2 starting guys with the silly knight guy that i will likely get rid of when I get to that mage. I also just saw that stone person that seems like a Cleric and had to go pick up a scroll for it. I should have my whole party set pretty soon it seems.
    I'm fine with finding the game hard though since that will probably force me to explore more of the map and find every bits of XP and quests I can. That and the extra quest, lore and interactions which I feel are important on a first playthrough.

    I already have 2 in bows and 2 in sword for my ranger so I can use him as a fighter or a bowman. Still only lv 1 though so I was wondering if thief were needed since I'd ditch her out... glad I didn't I guess ;). That or just starting a mage and soloing to some decent level but I lack knowledge of safe quests and items early on... and pretty much anything mage related tbh.

    I also read about capped XP and was wondering about that? If I run a party of 6 would I get to the cap? What if I use some mods for extra quests? How do you remove the cap in the original BG? Might try some Cleric/Mage solo run or a smaller party as suggested by mumumomo after I'm done just to try dual/multi classes.

    What is the difference between multi class and dual class (other than dual is only 2 and multi isn't just 2 ;) )? How do you split XP and what advantages / disadvantages does dual has over multi?

    So far I died a few times especially when I tried to fight that Friendly Inn assassin mage a few times with Imoen before just running past him :p. Got ambushed, got turned to stone met some archers, all ended bad :p.
    Graphics aren't up to par but I still play N64 and NES a fair amount so that's not a concern. Plus I'm having fun so what more can I ask, right?

    Thanks for your answers.
  • iuventasiuventas Member Posts: 95
    The game was designed around having a six people party, so there's more than enough XP for everyone to meet the cap. That, and the enemies are balanced to be a challenge to the party.
    Playing solo is actually much easier, and since you don't share experience with others you level up quickly, often capping in third or fourth chapter.
    I always play with four or five people, actually. Tank, thief, mage, healer, (archer). Of course, all the multi/dual classes of these are welcome, especially mixed with the arcane ones.
    Mages are squishy, and in my opinion it's good you chose a fighting class for your first playthrough. Great for beginners, and rangers are fun:)
  • the_spyderthe_spyder Member Posts: 5,018
    As far as XP and the cap are concerned, do you have Tales of the Sword Coast installed? that will impact what the level cap actually is. If you don't have it, get it. If you do, then don't worry about the cap.

    A six person party will probably still get close or hit the cap if you explore and don't just B-line through the plot. Take your time. Check out every single map and do any quests that you come across. Even if you don't complete everything, if you look around a bit you should reach the cap late game, or get pretty close.

    But about the cap, having it/removing it really makes very little difference with a 6 person party. If you hit the cap, it should still be so late in the game that you aren't losing out. And if you remove it, you probably won't get enough additional XP to advance more than one single level for each of your party members. The cutoff is such that you have a LOOOONG way to go (with BG1 xp) before you hit next level, even if you farm XP till you get bored. On the other hand, it's a small drop in the bucket of BG2 XP, so it really isn't going to make almost any difference in your BG2 experience either.

    Loads of people will say remove it. I say if you want to remove it, go ahead (it's quite easy to do), but I bet it doesn't change anything at all in your gaming experience (for a 6 person group).
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