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Should I bother with Throne of Bhaal?

BalladBallad Member Posts: 205
So I'm currently going through my first ever playthrough of the Enhanced Editions. After 250 or so hours of meticulous, completionist gameplay, I've made it through BG, ToTSC, SoA (including Watcher's Keep) and am now in the Grove of the Ancients, about to embark on the final stretch of the trilogy, AKA the Throne of Bhaal.

The problem is, I am really not that thrilled about the prospect of carrying on. Though I've played through vanilla BG2 a gazillion of times, I've only ever finished ToB once and, from what I can recall, it was little more than a glorified hack'n'slasher, hopscotching from one epic hullabaloo to the next, like IWD2 on steroids. Furthermore, I have SCS installed and while it really spiced up the game until mid-SoA, I started to get really fed up with it towards the end, when even the most minor mageling would unleash the same, absurdly powerful combination of prebuffs and contingencies, forcing me to either cheese or power game like crazy. Knowing that in ToB mages are even worse... well, let me just say that it currently seems about as much fun as a neverending migraine attack.

Nevertheless, a part of me would like to finish the whole trilogy and experience the new content, if only once. As I'm unable to make up my mind, I'm asking you to make the decision for me. Shall I go on and finish what I started or call it quits here, content with having saved Suldannessellar?
  1. Should I bother with Throne of Bhaal?54 votes
    1. Yes, go for it.
      55.56%
    2. No, spare yourself the tedium.
        5.56%
    3. Play it, but do uninstall SCS's improved mages component
      38.89%
Post edited by Ballad on

Comments

  • RavenslightRavenslight Member Posts: 1,609
    After such a meticulous, play through thus far, surly you must press forward. If only to have done it once. Though… your description of a never ending migraine, would certainly make me quit the thing. Perhaps that mod is sucking the fun out of it for you.
  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    ToB is a bad joke without SCS, after all the tactical ideas you get in SoA, ToB is too easy to beat.
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,317
    Ballad said:

    Though I've played through vanilla BG2 a gazillion of times, I've only ever finished ToB once and, from what I can recall, it was little more than a glorified hack'n'slasher, hopscotching from one epic hullabaloo to the next, like IWD2 on steroids.

    So does that mean you've only ever played through all of ToB once or that you've played through parts of ToB (but in more than one playthrough) but only ever beat it once?

    If you are using one of the new characters (and you only get the new content if you are using one of the new characters) then they have quests in ToB that you can look forward to, but ToB itself really hasn't changed from what you remember of it.

    Nobody has mentioned it but you can also install BP Ascension. That at least fleshes out ToB a bit.
  • JurisJuris Member Posts: 113
    TOB with SCS can be a slog - turn off the ridiculous pre-buffs (I didn't but I've got 3 mages to dispel all that crap). SCS does add some good stuff - I think it's a net positive so tough it out. Once you get past Gromir there's a lot fewer mages.
  • BalladBallad Member Posts: 205
    edited May 2014
    elminster said:


    So does that mean you've only ever played through all of ToB once or that you've played through parts of ToB (but in more than one playthrough) but only ever beat it once?

    Nobody has mentioned it but you can also install BP Ascension. That at least fleshes out ToB a bit.

    The only part of ToB I've played multiple times is Watcher's Keep, which I kind of consider part of SoA anyway. Also, I remember playing it with some Ascension components such as the big final fight where Melissan(sp?) resurrects the five fallen Bhaalspawns.

    IIRC, SCS had some components relating to the major ToB fights such as 'Improved Final Villain', 'Improved Sendai's Enclave' and 'Improved Abazigal's Lair' - are these the ones from Ascension or SCS originals?

    My only problem with super enhanced boss fights is that though I'm not playing no/minimal-reload as such, I find that having to reload ad nauseum really breaks the suspension of disbelief for me. On top of that, I don't recall any of the big ToB fights being particularly fun or stimulating. I don't know why; there's just something about forced boss fights that makes me rebel on the inside.

    @Juris, I believe this is exactly what I will end up doing. I really hate having to read through 25 lines of "Mage X: Spell Y (Cast Previously)" at the start of every fight. I've always thought it a bit unfair, because, as far as I know, those are all scriped spells and don't use up the mages spell slots. Besides, I very rarely cast short duration prebuffs before combat anyway, so fair game.
  • MacHurtoMacHurto Member Posts: 731
    edited May 2014
    The EE content in ToB is fun and worth seeing, imho. I have also heard great things about ascension (if you wanna try that instead of SCS).

    Ok i just saw I basically repeated what @elminster‌ said. Funny we voted different :-D
  • abazigal5abazigal5 Member Posts: 290
    Although you might want to uninstall SCS, because I don't have it installed and there was a mage in the dungeons under the Saradush Prison. I though that it was just going to be another level 11-16 mage and it was going to be easy to defeat (I was about level 25). Then the mage cast Timestop.
    Anyway, Sendai, Draconis, Abazigal, and Balthazar were scarily easy. No one died in any of them.
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