You might find some of the monsters in ToB to be a bit gimicky. Not that they aren't tough, just that they tend to require something a bit more than brut(al) strength to take out.
What level is your group going into Watcher's keep?
What level is your group going into Watcher's keep?
My Cavalier and Keldorn are both at level 20, Minsc is at 21, Jaheira is at 15 with Fighter and 14 Druid, Imoen is level 17 and Aerie is at Cleric level 16 and Mage level 14.
And now I'm at that Final Seal fight with all those OP monsters. Not funny . At this rate, if Demogorgon is more of a pain than this fight I might just say f**k it and return just before the point of no return.... At least I've gotten some sweet loot and XP from this so far.
That final seal fight is notoriously difficult. I find it tougher; as in much, much tougher than the Demagorgon fight.
Demogorgon challenge really comes from the player - if you let it. If you let yourself get distracted, it's really tough. With the right defensive buffs and some focus on what's important, it can be so easy it feels anti-climatic.
Ok, this one is down. Now all that's left is the two others (apparently, I did the hardest one first, good to know that ). All it took was the 6 Dispels Keldorn had at his disposal, some spells and potions and the desperate wailing of swords to the death. .... And Imoen as bait and a diversion for that Archer.
And so it was as such, that Demogorgon, Prince of Demons, the Imprisoned One, was slain at the hand of the Cavalier Siegfried and his brothers and sisters in arms.
First time I did the fight, he killed me fast. Then I summoned about 2 Devas, 4 Sword Spiders, 3 Skeletons and went ham on the guy with full buffs and spells. Went down pretty easily that way, I must say.
Well the hunt for Sendai is tougher at the end and the hunt for Abazigal is tougher at the beginning. Pick your poison...
I enjoyed both but I think I liked the Sendai quest just a wee bit more. There's a hilarious visit from an old BG2 pal that is one of my favorite TOB moments.
Of course Abazigal's lair has the young adventurer sub-contractor encounter; to me, that's the biggest laugh of the entire series.
But really its a coin toss as to which to do first. I think most people find Abazigal tougher, especially at the start as Balrog99 indicated, but depending on your exact party, equipment and tactics, you could feel very differently!
All of the Bhaalspawn lay dead, the Ravager has been felled and I have more motivation than ever to defeat what is to come and fulfill my destiny. Not only for myself, for all of Faerûn, but for
my now beloved wife and the life she carries within her.
Our resolve stalwart, our courage will not falter, for this day the Light of Good shall triumph over those who would seek to harm all that is held dear and loved. I imagine myself giving this speech to my party:
It is over. The deed is done. The world has been saved and my choice made. What was it you ask? Well, I chose to remain as no more than the next man. Immortality might be the desire and goal of some, but my travels made me see that such was not my purpose. Having gained much and never forgetting that which was lost, I chose to stay besides my companions and the two lives I swore to protect more than anything in this Earth. And even if my body should wain and my spirit disappear, I shall remain immortal through the best way: in the hearts of the people and those I hold dear.
Overall, I liked it. Did not love the franchise to death, but will not say it's bad. It's a very good one and one that is advised to all RPG players. It had nice pacing, BG1 introduces the story and mechanics, 2 gives you the gear and the power to fight and ToB is basically a boss rush where you can show off all you have learned and earned throughout your journey. ToB could be a bit more fleshed out in terms of the story, as I did not actually feel that the world was being slaughtered while I was taking a nap before a fight XD.
It is over. The deed is done. The world has been saved and my choice made. What was it you ask? Well, I chose to remain as no more than the next man. Immortality might be the desire and goal of some, but my travels made me see that such was not my purpose. Having gained much and never forgetting that which was lost, I chose to stay besides my companions and the two lives I swore to protect more than anything in this Earth. And even if my body should wain and my spirit disappear, I shall remain immortal through the best way: in the hearts of the people and those I hold dear.
WHY DID KELDORN HAVE TO DIE??? ;-;
Your choice was mine for the first completion of ToB - just seemed right, given how charname got into this in the first place.
...ToB is basically a boss rush where you can show off all you have learned and earned throughout your journey. ToB could be a bit more fleshed out in terms of the story, as I did not actually feel that the world was being slaughtered while I was taking a nap before a fight XD.
That was my feel for it as well - hence my apology when you said you'd just started it.
I decided to write here again just to say that I've begun two more playthroughs. I put one on hold and started a pseudo Evil run for Viconia's romance. I might not take it to the end but I felt like writing a personal bio for the character. Here it is, if anyone's curious:
Victor has spent his life inside the safety of Candlekeep with his foster father, Gorion, who took him in as if of his own blood for reasons unknown to him. He lived a peaceful life with his friend Imoen there, that is, until the fateful day Gorion told him to pack his bags and leave, all without an explanation. Following his father, they were soon ambushed by an Armored Figure who would later be revealed as his brother Sarevok. His father dead and having been left without anything in a foreign and strange world, Victor was able to find solace and protection with an order of Paladins who would train him to serve Helm, but Victor's reasons were much simpler: to grow powerful enough to defeat the Figure and avenge his father. He always felt different from the other students, who were drawn to the Order for pure devotion and beliefs in the greater good. He was merely motivated by a thirst of blood and revenge. Until one fateful day when the Fates would decide to make him and a young Cleric by the name of Rosalie meet by chance. This meeting was strange for Victor. No longer did he feel the calling of bloodthirst or the fire of vengeance burn inside him. She made him feel... at peace with his life. This prompted him to preserve that friendship, and so Rosalie would be his only friend inside the Order. This bond was short-lived as the day when he would leave in service of the Order came soon after their first meeting. Knowing that the only moments of solace he could find were in the company of Rosalie, Victor sought her one last time to make a sincere request: That Rosalie would accompany him on his quest to avenge his dead father. As Rosalie enjoyed Victor's comapany, she accepted and the next day, they left on his quest. The first step on his journey would be to enlist the help of his friend Imoen, who had patiently awaited for Victor to finish his training. And so they traveled to the Friendly Arm Inn where she had been waiting for him due to a promise they made soon after Gorion’s death. And so after many trials, death and adventures, in front of him lay the cause for all of his suffering, all of his grief and pain: Sarevok, the Armored Figure, his brother as Bhaalspawn. Giving in to his urges, Victor charged fearlessly into battle against Sarevok, something which would cost him far more than he could know. For Sarevok’s strength proved immense and Victor was nearly defeated soon enough and he only survived due to the sacrifice of his now fiancée Rosalie. Seeing all he loved lost in front of him again was motivation enough to destroy Sarevok tenfold and he struck him down with ease, but at great cost…. Victor went to every temple he could find in order to bring Rosalie back to life, but to no avail. The damage had been too severe. Rosalie was gone. After the battle, Victor was never the same. He tried to deal with the grief, the pain, the loss, but to no avail. He knew what had to be done. He knew that his vows to Helm were nothing to him. And so he began his quest for the search on how to bring Rosalie back from the dead, as beautiful and kind as she was when they first met. Nothing would stop Victor from achieving his goal. No price would be too high for having his love back, even if it meant dealing with creatures such as Beholders, Liches, Vampires and the hellish Tanar’ri…. Victor would have Rosalie brought back into his arms, no matter the cost…
And here's an image:
And I also feel like this is my special little corner in the forum and don't want it to die .
Bahaha welcome to the club! May your well of playthroughs never run dry. I'm always glad to see another person experience the unique joy that is the BG saga.
After reading this thread, I am starting to doubt that it was actually BG1 that OP was loathing. I may be totally off the mark on this one, but I am just going out on a limb here. I think you either were not in a good place in your life at the time, possibly frustrated with something you were dealing with IRL, or something non gaming related.
Why do I say this? Because I have been there. I have been at the point in my life where I was just unhappy and miserable and I was so bitter at the time that I wouldn't want to have fun or enjoy anything. I basically took my feelings out on my surroundings which wasn't fair to the people around me, friends, family etc., much less any games I might of been playing at the time that probably would of been totally different experiences had I been in a better state of mind.
Needless to say, I am glad that you ended up getting something out of the series. I really didn't have much hope for you early on while reading the thread, but seeing that you actually played the game to completion is an achievement. I am glad you gave it a chance.
I have one bit of advice to anyone out there who is playing a game they think they should be enjoying, but for some reason no matter what they do, they are not having fun.
Walk away! Come back later!
Never force yourself into something that you are not enjoying. You may not even realize it at the time, but putting the game away and coming back and trying it again at a later date could make all the difference in the world. It is kind of like that song on the radio you don't like at first, but then it grows on you, or another example is back in the day on one of my first MMORPG's, I would have some races and classes that I just did not like and thought were not fun. Years later they ended up being my favorite race/class combinations for no apparent reason what so ever. I really can't explain it, but it works for me.
Anyway, that is all I have to say. Once again, if I am wrong then don't take this personal. This honestly is just me sharing a life experience I have had in the past and possible reasons for not enjoying something in the beginning.
Grats on completing the game. I hope each playthrough from here on out just gets better and better!
Comments
What level is your group going into Watcher's keep?
And now I'm at that Final Seal fight with all those OP monsters. Not funny
....
And Imoen as bait and a diversion for that Archer.
First time I did the fight, he killed me fast. Then I summoned about 2 Devas, 4 Sword Spiders, 3 Skeletons and went ham on the guy with full buffs and spells. Went down pretty easily that way, I must say.
I enjoyed both but I think I liked the Sendai quest just a wee bit more. There's a hilarious visit from an old BG2 pal that is one of my favorite TOB moments.
But really its a coin toss as to which to do first. I think most people find Abazigal tougher, especially at the start as Balrog99 indicated, but depending on your exact party, equipment and tactics, you could feel very differently!
Our resolve stalwart, our courage will not falter, for this day the Light of Good shall triumph over those who would seek to harm all that is held dear and loved.
I imagine myself giving this speech to my party:
I hope I don't have to reload a lot for this....
Well, I chose to remain as no more than the next man. Immortality might be the desire and goal of some, but my travels made me see that such was not my purpose. Having gained much and never forgetting that which was lost, I chose to stay besides my companions and the two lives I swore to protect more than anything in this Earth. And even if my body should wain and my spirit disappear, I shall remain immortal through the best way: in the hearts of the people and those I hold dear.
WHY DID KELDORN HAVE TO DIE???
His father dead and having been left without anything in a foreign and strange world, Victor was able to find solace and protection with an order of Paladins who would train him to serve Helm, but Victor's reasons were much simpler: to grow powerful enough to defeat the Figure and avenge his father. He always felt different from the other students, who were drawn to the Order for pure devotion and beliefs in the greater good. He was merely motivated by a thirst of blood and revenge. Until one fateful day when the Fates would decide to make him and a young Cleric by the name of Rosalie meet by chance.
This meeting was strange for Victor. No longer did he feel the calling of bloodthirst or the fire of vengeance burn inside him. She made him feel... at peace with his life. This prompted him to preserve that friendship, and so Rosalie would be his only friend inside the Order. This bond was short-lived as the day when he would leave in service of the Order came soon after their first meeting.
Knowing that the only moments of solace he could find were in the company of Rosalie, Victor sought her one last time to make a sincere request: That Rosalie would accompany him on his quest to avenge his dead father.
As Rosalie enjoyed Victor's comapany, she accepted and the next day, they left on his quest. The first step on his journey would be to enlist the help of his friend Imoen, who had patiently awaited for Victor to finish his training. And so they traveled to the Friendly Arm Inn where she had been waiting for him due to a promise they made soon after Gorion’s death. And so after many trials, death and adventures, in front of him lay the cause for all of his suffering, all of his grief and pain: Sarevok, the Armored Figure, his brother as Bhaalspawn.
Giving in to his urges, Victor charged fearlessly into battle against Sarevok, something which would cost him far more than he could know. For Sarevok’s strength proved immense and Victor was nearly defeated soon enough and he only survived due to the sacrifice of his now fiancée Rosalie. Seeing all he loved lost in front of him again was motivation enough to destroy Sarevok tenfold and he struck him down with ease, but at great cost…. Victor went to every temple he could find in order to bring Rosalie back to life, but to no avail. The damage had been too severe. Rosalie was gone.
After the battle, Victor was never the same. He tried to deal with the grief, the pain, the loss, but to no avail. He knew what had to be done. He knew that his vows to Helm were nothing to him. And so he began his quest for the search on how to bring Rosalie back from the dead, as beautiful and kind as she was when they first met. Nothing would stop Victor from achieving his goal. No price would be too high for having his love back, even if it meant dealing with creatures such as Beholders, Liches, Vampires and the hellish Tanar’ri….
Victor would have Rosalie brought back into his arms, no matter the cost…
And here's an image:
And I also feel like this is my special little corner in the forum and don't want it to die
Why do I say this? Because I have been there. I have been at the point in my life where I was just unhappy and miserable and I was so bitter at the time that I wouldn't want to have fun or enjoy anything. I basically took my feelings out on my surroundings which wasn't fair to the people around me, friends, family etc., much less any games I might of been playing at the time that probably would of been totally different experiences had I been in a better state of mind.
Needless to say, I am glad that you ended up getting something out of the series. I really didn't have much hope for you early on while reading the thread, but seeing that you actually played the game to completion is an achievement. I am glad you gave it a chance.
I have one bit of advice to anyone out there who is playing a game they think they should be enjoying, but for some reason no matter what they do, they are not having fun.
Walk away! Come back later!
Never force yourself into something that you are not enjoying. You may not even realize it at the time, but putting the game away and coming back and trying it again at a later date could make all the difference in the world. It is kind of like that song on the radio you don't like at first, but then it grows on you, or another example is back in the day on one of my first MMORPG's, I would have some races and classes that I just did not like and thought were not fun. Years later they ended up being my favorite race/class combinations for no apparent reason what so ever. I really can't explain it, but it works for me.
Anyway, that is all I have to say. Once again, if I am wrong then don't take this personal. This honestly is just me sharing a life experience I have had in the past and possible reasons for not enjoying something in the beginning.
Grats on completing the game. I hope each playthrough from here on out just gets better and better!