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Getting Ready To Play BG2:EE For the First Time: Party Help?

MissMarvelMissMarvel Member Posts: 13
in Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
So I'm... maybe halfway through the first Baldur's Gate game, maybe more if I remember how the story goes, and I'll be exporting my BG:EE character to BG2:EE. I was wondering if I could get some help setting up my party for BG2:EE and beyond.

My main character is a half-elf fighter, dual-wielding long swords. Chaotic Good, and I plan on sticking with being all squeaky clean and nice (I've got a heroic reputation on BG:EE; boo yeah). My current party in BG:EE is myself, Imoen, Minsc, Dynaheir, Rasaad, and Branwen.

Currently, drawing on my memories of BGII, my current party set up for BG2:EE will probably be:

Myself (Damage)
Yoshimo (thievery) --> Imoen (thievery/magic)
Minsc (Damage/Tank)
Aerie (magic/healing/new witch for Minsc)
Keldorn (Awesome)
Rasaad (LI)

Any obvious holes? Alternate ideas?

Comments

  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,264
    Hmm. It looks to me like your planned party is a bit heavy on the warriors and a bit light on the casters (at least until you get Imoen). I would suggest possibly dropping Minsc or Keldorn for someone else, such as Anomen, Haer'Dalis, Cernd, or Jan. Anomen is both a great cleric and a great warrior, and becomes especially good at fighting when properly buffed. Haer'Dalis is actually quite the competent fighter and can also be buffed up like Anomen to increase his fighting ability, but also can act as a bit of a backup mage with a high casting level. Cernd would probably end up being more of a support character with backup healing spells and extra support spells. His werewolf forms are fairly powerful but do not make him as good of a fighter as others but they make him much more tank like. Druids also possess a few awesome disruptive spells which tend to work especially well against mages. Jan would probably be the least useful for your plan but he can use his thief abilities much better than Imoen can. If I were you I would probably take either Haer'Dalis or Cernd as I think they have the most to offer your group.
  • shawneshawne Member Posts: 3,239
    Hmm. If your PC and Keldorn are both combat-oriented, you don't really need Minsc; also, if you take Nalia instead of Yoshimo, she can do thievery and offset Aerie's spellcasting, which leaves another spot open on your team. I'd suggest Jaheira: she can act as a third melee fighter while taking some of the clerical pressure off Aerie.

    So it would look something like:

    Your character (Damage)
    Keldorn (Awesome)
    Nalia (thievery/magic) --> Imoen (thievery/magic)
    Aerie (magic/healing)
    Jaheira (damage/healing)
    Rasaad (LI)
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,315
    If you want the whole Aerie is Minsc's witch thing going on then your party seems find to me. You really can't go wrong particularly when you've got Keldorn in your party.
  • MissMarvelMissMarvel Member Posts: 13
    I've been told that while Nalia is a decent mage, she's got bad thievery stats and that it's better to have a thief on hand? Plus, I've heard that Yoshimo is a good character to have, like... story-wise. Good story, important to the plot.

    I do like Jaheria, though. I had to let her die in BG to get Branwen, but I kinda missed her. Kinda regret it too, she could have done what Branwen did.
  • FrogmanFrogman Member Posts: 153
    I've been happily married for 5 years! My wife respects me and the two of us try very hard to keep a clean house
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    @MissMarvel That party sounds fine if that's what you'd like. You don't need to optimize and powerplay to win the game, so go with what's most fun.
  • nosecretnosecret Member Posts: 92
    MissMarvel said:

    I've been told that while Nalia is a decent mage, she's got bad thievery stats and that it's better to have a thief on hand? Plus, I've heard that Yoshimo is a good character to have, like... story-wise. Good story, important to the plot.

    I do like Jaheria, though. I had to let her die in BG to get Branwen, but I kinda missed her. Kinda regret it too, she could have done what Branwen did.

    Nalia's got worse-than-optimal stats immediately, but I've picked her up right outta Gaelan's house and played her all the way through TOB with Jan and adding Imoen later.

    You just have to be willing to give her lots of non-FDA approved supplements (thief juice boxes), the best thief jewelry and boots, etc., for the first few levels. Same goes for Jan, for that matter.

    I tend to play characters up through level 16-18-ish according to who can do what just well enough and long enough to work on strengths and weaknesses (or acquire gear) of the rest of the party. That usually means no-one's really specialized/pigeon-roled (hehehe, I just made that up) for those levels. After 16 or so (usually start of chapter 4 for me), they start falling into definable roles.
  • elementelement Member Posts: 833
    edited August 2014
    your party is absolutely fine
  • BelanosBelanos Member Posts: 968
    One thing about your line up though. Imoen can't progress any further as a thief, so once you lose Yoshimo you might find yourself limited in that department. Personally I like to fit Jan in, as he can level in both Mage and Thief classes, and he's rather amusing as well.
  • FrogmanFrogman Member Posts: 153
    cant find my butt
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    You're sitting on it.
  • FrogmanFrogman Member Posts: 153
    oh! Thanks.
  • MissMarvelMissMarvel Member Posts: 13
    I think I remember Keldorn leaves as part of his quest? Maybe after he leaves, I can nab Jan.

    So potentially, it's

    Me
    Minsc
    Aerie
    Yoshimo --> Imoen
    Keldorn --> Jan
    Rasaad

    But gosh, I really want Sarevok in ToB but I can't imagine how to make that work without totally reworking my party......
  • FrogmanFrogman Member Posts: 153
    Keldorn can stay with the party, it depends on your choices in the quest. If you keep him, he's a powerhouse with his super dispel and Hallowed Redeemer/Carsomyr
  • MissMarvelMissMarvel Member Posts: 13
    Well, I hear that that's the good thing to do. If he stays, you've basically undermined his marriage and condemned him in sadness or something.

    But then, I also read that if you do the "good thing", you can show up a couple days later and he's like "HEY WE'RE ALL GOOD HERE, LET'S GO!"
  • GlidderdustGlidderdust Member Posts: 70
    Keldorn will stay with the group if you remind him of his paladin duties. He'll also go a long way with disabling mages until you get more arcane support from Imoen.

    If you're using a full six man party, you can get by with just Aerie as your only caster through Chapter Two. Make sure everyone's AC is solid, use Aerie and Keldorn to see/disable enemy mages, and gang up on your opponents. You'll be fine through SoA.

    The party will be even better once Aerie makes it to the late stages and Imoen can start casting high level arcane spells.
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