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Durlag's tower

mewp12mewp12 Member Posts: 61
in General Discussion (Spoiler Warning!)
When to do tis? Before or after the city of Baldur's Gate. How about the Tales of the sword coast? Since it ends in Baldur's gate should I do these firs?

Comments

  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,268
    That really depends on what kind of a challenge you want. Some people save Durlag's Tower for last and literally do it just before fighting the final boss. Others do it much earlier. I personally think it is at least worth going to Ulgoth's beard to get some nice items that you can get relatively easily. I also prefer to do D's Tower early so that I can get all the nice level 4 and 5 spells for my mages right away. If you have unlocked Baldur's Gate you may want to at least stop by the Sorcerous Sundries which is right by the entrance to the city before you start D's Tower. To get the most out of your experience I recommend going to Ulgoth's Beard before D's Tower.
  • kiwidockiwidoc Member Posts: 1,437
    edited July 2014
    Ye Gods @Tresset - how could you even survive D's tower before you've unlocked Baldurs Gate. I'd get creamed before I even got as far as the front door!
    Besides I thought you had to have done the Cloakwood stuff and got over the bridge to even get to Ulgoth's Beard, to do the stuff you need to do to be able to enter the DT area.

    @mewp12 if this is your first run through, I'd definitely leave DT till near the very end. I find it easier to do the other parts of TotSC first, and collect some good XP, items and GP that lets you do some serious shopping in Ulgoth's Beard. There are some damn tough battles in DT, as well as a few other situations that can cause serious damage. You may need all the kit, spells and potions you can get.
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,268
    @kiwidoc‌ I usually finish D's tower before I even go to Cloakwood (I may go there just for Spider's Bane first though). It isn't so hard if you know what you are doing.
  • terzaerianterzaerian Member Posts: 232
    I leave Durlag's Tower until immediately after I finish The Maze to the Undercity. Half-brother and his toadies will keep, after all.
  • kiwidockiwidoc Member Posts: 1,437
    @Tresset how do you get there. I've never been able to open the area till after I have finished Cloakwood. I know I'm not the best player in the world but I am not that bad, and I can tell you some of the encounters in the Tower can be bloody hard without a high level party. I suppose you could just meta game and just avoid those areas, but at least one of the battles is necessary for you to keep advancing. And as for
    the battles you face on returning to Ulgoth's Beard - the last of these is commonly said to be the hardest battle in the game - much harder than the final showdown with Sarevok.
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,268
    @kiwidoc‌ I do not metagame around things. If I see something I kill it. I also do a bit of grinding on skeleton warriors and greater doppelgangers inside so I may enter at level 6-7 but I leave at max level.

    You can go to Ulgoth's beard immediately in Chapter 1 actually. All you have to do is travel north from the bridge area. You can do so from where I am in the screenshots.

    image
    image
  • kiwidockiwidoc Member Posts: 1,437
    @ Tresset. I never knew you could get to Ulgoth's beard that way. Many thanks for that. We better not get into anything too detailed and spoilerish :)
  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    kiwidoc said:


    the battles you face on returning to Ulgoth's Beard - the last of these is commonly said to be the hardest battle in the game - much harder than the final showdown with Sarevok.
    actually, the battle with Sarevok is dead easy, that's what happens is that the Demon is very cheesy for BG1 standards.
  • jjstraka34jjstraka34 Member Posts: 9,850
    edited July 2014
    In my current play through I headed to Ulgoth's Beard and then Durlog's before the Return to Candlekeep, since that sorta initiates the endgame in many ways, though it doesn't prevent you from going there. If you can clear the two guards blocking the bridge to the tower, you can certainly at least survive the upper-levels for some great exp. I would recommend levels 5-7, but it's most important to have high lock-picking and find traps on your Thief. Durlog's Tower is as much about traps and Zelda-like puzzles as combat, though there is plenty of that as well.
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    edited July 2014
    Conventional wisdom seems to be that the best time to take on Durlag's is right at the start of chapter 7 upon return to BG city. There's a credible RP motive then to leave the city and lay low for a while. Although that is also at odds with the motivation to wrap up the plot.

    I like to do Durlag's during chapter 5. Story-wise the world is still pretty wide open to explore for you then. I take my time before completing Scar's quest. I first explore BG city and Ulgoth's Beard a bit, and do some quests. This includes Durlag's (if I'm doing it; I don't always).

    You do need a Thief with sufficient points in Traps, but Erdane sells potions to help with that.
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