How's the class balance in IWD? Is it like bg2: all about fighter mages, one thief for traps/locks, one cleric for misc spells, and other classes sucking like druid? I love the druid class but it's so underpowered in general...
@Drayen Druids not only provide unique dialogue options, they also are an incredibly powerful force in IWD. A general rule of thumb for IWD is fighters rule, thieves drool. Mages and clerics are important, but not quite as much so.
Paladins and bards are both requisites on any min-maxers party due to both unique dialogue and useful contributions.
Single classed characters are (mostly) a waste. Thieves should never be single classed, and most other characters should be multi-ed.
A good basic party for beginners to IWD (not the infinity engine games, though, necessarily) would be:
Paladin (specifically undead hunter, though all of them work) Fighter/Thief Druid or Fighter/Druid Sorcerer (or mage for newcomers to the game's system) Fighter/Cleric or Cleric (preferably kitted if single-classed) Bard (vanilla would probably be best, but all of them are suitable)
This is a very solid, albeit unoriginal party build that would probably be quite efficient. Obviously the kits/sorcerer are new additions to the game, so I can't fully predict how they'll be, but undead hunter and sorcerer would probably be quite powerful.
Taking into account the game will have HoW, the level cap will be the 30th level, no matter whether we talk about single, dual or multiclass characters (so you can be a fighter 30 / mage 30 / cleric 30 for e.g., if you solo the game in the HoF mode).
Off-topic (apologies in advance): has this been made possible in BGEE 1.3?
I'm afraid that's not available via in-game dual-classing. You will have to use EEKeeper and give your character a specific kit after the dual class process (Make sure you don't give yourself a kit before dual classing, though)
Be sure to apply certain bonus or penalties after changing your kit, since editing a specific kit with EEkeeper will not apply those for you. You'll have to manually apply the first level bonus and penalties such as Assassins should have 10% less skill points than a normal thief, but has an extra poison weapon at level 1.
Edit: I was wrong about level1 thief skill, as they actually all start with 40 points for distribution. It's only after first level that Assassins have only 15 points for distribution.
@Fardragon@Kenji Thanks, I knew it was possible with EEKeeper, was just hoping it would have made into the "native" game. Because the problem with adding a kit to your dual is that when you level up, it levels up for vanilla class. So every level-up, you have to go back into EEKeeper and re-apply the kit for your correct level.
Can the portraits and NPC sound sets from BG1:EE or BG2:EE be imported into IWD:EE and the new kits and spells in IWD:EE be used in BG1:EE or BG2:EE Thank You
@Ancalagon44 Stats are rolled exactly like in the BG series. Except that in the IWD series you can generate a whole party of 6, instead of just your Charname (main character).
Heart of Fury mode in IWD:EE works exactly the same as it did in the original game. They haven't added any extra functionality at this time. So, you can play it at the level you want, whether it's the 1st level or the 15th level.
I played the original IWD but only got as far as the Vale of Shadows. I was curious since I never had the expansions are they extra content added into the base campaign or separate campaigns you select at the onset of the game?
Heart of Winter can be either of those. Trials of the Luremaster is extra content you can choose to play during the Heart of Winter campaign and is unavailable once you return to the main campaign areas.
"Max dexterity bonus" is a 3E thing, not 2E. I've not observed it in IWD, so maybe there was a mod that introduced it, but it shouldn't be there is vanilla or EE.
Even with all the changes which makes the game even better, if you don't a linear game, then you probably won't like this one, unless they changed it and did massive overhaul, the original game I gave a 7 out 10 IWD 2 I gave an 9/10 because they did add more content and had classes, which was lacking in IWD.
Comments
Is it the same interaction that the protagonist have with the Story in Baldur's Gate?
There are some class specific dialogues (alignment too I think) but the "protagonists" are nothing more than random characters that you create.
The "real" protagonists of IWD and IWD2 are the NPCs. The PCs are just there to solve the problem for them.
A general rule of thumb for IWD is fighters rule, thieves drool. Mages and clerics are important, but not quite as much so.
Paladins and bards are both requisites on any min-maxers party due to both unique dialogue and useful contributions.
Single classed characters are (mostly) a waste. Thieves should never be single classed, and most other characters should be multi-ed.
A good basic party for beginners to IWD (not the infinity engine games, though, necessarily) would be:
Paladin (specifically undead hunter, though all of them work)
Fighter/Thief
Druid or Fighter/Druid
Sorcerer (or mage for newcomers to the game's system)
Fighter/Cleric or Cleric (preferably kitted if single-classed)
Bard (vanilla would probably be best, but all of them are suitable)
This is a very solid, albeit unoriginal party build that would probably be quite efficient. Obviously the kits/sorcerer are new additions to the game, so I can't fully predict how they'll be, but undead hunter and sorcerer would probably be quite powerful.
Taking into account the game will have HoW, the level cap will be the 30th level, no matter whether we talk about single, dual or multiclass characters (so you can be a fighter 30 / mage 30 / cleric 30 for e.g., if you solo the game in the HoF mode).
Off-topic (apologies in advance): has this been made possible in BGEE 1.3?
Be sure to apply certain bonus or penalties after changing your kit, since editing a specific kit with EEkeeper will not apply those for you. You'll have to manually apply the first level bonus and penalties such as Assassins should have 10% less skill points than a normal thief, but has an extra poison weapon at level 1.
Edit: I was wrong about level1 thief skill, as they actually all start with 40 points for distribution. It's only after first level that Assassins have only 15 points for distribution.
and the new kits and spells in IWD:EE be used in BG1:EE or BG2:EE
Thank You
These are more feature requests than actually questions, really. I think we should have BGEE sounsets imported into BG2EE and vice versa first.
Although I would support your wishes
Edit:
Is Iwd1 HoF the same as IWD2 HoF? Is it meant for characters of at least level 15, or is it meant for level 1 characters?
I suppose they might change that in the EE anyway.
Heart of Fury mode in IWD:EE works exactly the same as it did in the original game. They haven't added any extra functionality at this time. So, you can play it at the level you want, whether it's the 1st level or the 15th level.
This info is based on the latest IWDEE interview here: http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/article?articleid=268
IWDEE will be like BGEE and will use a modified version of the AD&D 2nd edition rules.
At least, having had a look at the item descriptions, there is no mention of it.
I got 50/50 internet