Most Annoying IWD Enemy?
dustbubsy
Member Posts: 249
Who are you most dreading running into again? After just completing my first (and probably only) Heart of Fury run, I spent a lot of time fuming at certain enemies in this game, and though it would be good to explore which ones everybody remembers and fears.
Here are my explanations for the poll choices:
1. These annoying bugs spray acid everywhere when they approach you. That would be annoying enough, but get this - it can paralyze you! There are about a million of these bugs on the right side of Dragons Eye's Level Two - just when you think you've exterminated the last of them, another pops out from the shadows. Someone call Rentokill.
2. These jokers wander into the battles of Dragon's Eye Level Three, daring you to attack them, at which point they explode in a blast of Snilloc's Snowball Swarm. No problem for the Cold Wights - they love it. Your party won't.
3. Yuan-ti spell-casters are annoying in every Infinity Engine game they appear in, but in Icewind Dale’s Heart of Fury they’re just cruel. They appear in huge packs in this mode, and they have an evil spell called Static Charge. Like those handshake buzzers only much more deadly, if they get off one of these it’s basically an instakill, unless you’re smart enough to wear the Boots of Grounding and drink a Potion of Insulation (I wasn’t, sadly).
4. The Ice Trolls don’t need fire to kill them... I always wondered why that was. Anyway, the Snow Troll is the archetypical why-won’t-you-die enemy in this game – he gets knocked down, but he gets up again. In addition to his regenerative abilities and stupid haircut, he also hits very hard.
5. Both varieties of Salamander here. The thing I hate about these enemies is there is virtually no way to avoid taking damage from them. Even stunned, sleeping, or hopeless, they hit you with their freezing and fiery auras, and this damage piles up really fast, especially in HoF. Worse still, I can’t help imagining these creatures using lots of ice and fire related puns while they’re beating up my party.
6. Not only do these polar worms hit hard, they have a flaming attack that, like the Static Charge, is an instakill on the harder difficulties. It’s incredibly frustrating to get hit by one of these... even if you don’t restart at losing a party member, you’d have to go all the way back out of the Gloomfrost, a very large area, and then back to Lonelywood, to resurrect them. Plus, they like to gang up on you, appearing from behind you and blocking you into the cramped passageways. You’re already massive, why do you have to gang up on me too?!
7. This Trials of the Luremaster enemy isn’t a big threat but he is a massive troll. As soon as he sees you he teleports one of your party members unless they save vs. Spell. Did I mention the crypt he appears in is massive, and filled with undead, locked doors and secret passageways? And there are around 100 Crypt Things truckin’ round this place?
8. Spectral Guards are another TotL enemy, and pretty much the opposite of the Crypt Thing, because although they have no special tricks whatsoever, they are still incredibly frustrating for how hard they hit, and how they appear in squads. They’re immune to magic so the only way to kill them is to beat them down. In Heart of Fury my level 30 Cleric could just about turn them, but not destroy them, and once turned they somehow became more deadly, bouncing around the room randomly striking my adventurers and causing many deaths.
9. And finally, the Stone Nuisance. Just look at the name! The perfect example of an unfair enemy. They appear in twos and immediately launch full Magic Missiles at whoever chanced upon them first. They’ll continue doing this every round and can only be harmed with blunt weapons. Worse still, the altar they guard is initially empty. If you leave the screen, then go back to retrieve the newly appeared gem from the altar, they’re back. How?! Now, I know with the Shield spell Magic Missiles aren’t a worry, but playing blind, who has a Shielded mage scouting out in front? And when you go in close to kill them, they can easily target somebody else.
10. Others I could also mention include the Imbued Wight (another “surprise Magic Missile!!” spamming enemy), the Yuan-ti Archer Elite (we all remember the High Archer’s room), the Drow Mercenaries, the Drowned Dead, those damned Infernal Harpies... but I’m getting flashbacks as it is. And with IWD:EE they’re all going to live again! What a terrifying prospect...
Here are my explanations for the poll choices:
1. These annoying bugs spray acid everywhere when they approach you. That would be annoying enough, but get this - it can paralyze you! There are about a million of these bugs on the right side of Dragons Eye's Level Two - just when you think you've exterminated the last of them, another pops out from the shadows. Someone call Rentokill.
2. These jokers wander into the battles of Dragon's Eye Level Three, daring you to attack them, at which point they explode in a blast of Snilloc's Snowball Swarm. No problem for the Cold Wights - they love it. Your party won't.
3. Yuan-ti spell-casters are annoying in every Infinity Engine game they appear in, but in Icewind Dale’s Heart of Fury they’re just cruel. They appear in huge packs in this mode, and they have an evil spell called Static Charge. Like those handshake buzzers only much more deadly, if they get off one of these it’s basically an instakill, unless you’re smart enough to wear the Boots of Grounding and drink a Potion of Insulation (I wasn’t, sadly).
4. The Ice Trolls don’t need fire to kill them... I always wondered why that was. Anyway, the Snow Troll is the archetypical why-won’t-you-die enemy in this game – he gets knocked down, but he gets up again. In addition to his regenerative abilities and stupid haircut, he also hits very hard.
5. Both varieties of Salamander here. The thing I hate about these enemies is there is virtually no way to avoid taking damage from them. Even stunned, sleeping, or hopeless, they hit you with their freezing and fiery auras, and this damage piles up really fast, especially in HoF. Worse still, I can’t help imagining these creatures using lots of ice and fire related puns while they’re beating up my party.
6. Not only do these polar worms hit hard, they have a flaming attack that, like the Static Charge, is an instakill on the harder difficulties. It’s incredibly frustrating to get hit by one of these... even if you don’t restart at losing a party member, you’d have to go all the way back out of the Gloomfrost, a very large area, and then back to Lonelywood, to resurrect them. Plus, they like to gang up on you, appearing from behind you and blocking you into the cramped passageways. You’re already massive, why do you have to gang up on me too?!
7. This Trials of the Luremaster enemy isn’t a big threat but he is a massive troll. As soon as he sees you he teleports one of your party members unless they save vs. Spell. Did I mention the crypt he appears in is massive, and filled with undead, locked doors and secret passageways? And there are around 100 Crypt Things truckin’ round this place?
8. Spectral Guards are another TotL enemy, and pretty much the opposite of the Crypt Thing, because although they have no special tricks whatsoever, they are still incredibly frustrating for how hard they hit, and how they appear in squads. They’re immune to magic so the only way to kill them is to beat them down. In Heart of Fury my level 30 Cleric could just about turn them, but not destroy them, and once turned they somehow became more deadly, bouncing around the room randomly striking my adventurers and causing many deaths.
9. And finally, the Stone Nuisance. Just look at the name! The perfect example of an unfair enemy. They appear in twos and immediately launch full Magic Missiles at whoever chanced upon them first. They’ll continue doing this every round and can only be harmed with blunt weapons. Worse still, the altar they guard is initially empty. If you leave the screen, then go back to retrieve the newly appeared gem from the altar, they’re back. How?! Now, I know with the Shield spell Magic Missiles aren’t a worry, but playing blind, who has a Shielded mage scouting out in front? And when you go in close to kill them, they can easily target somebody else.
10. Others I could also mention include the Imbued Wight (another “surprise Magic Missile!!” spamming enemy), the Yuan-ti Archer Elite (we all remember the High Archer’s room), the Drow Mercenaries, the Drowned Dead, those damned Infernal Harpies... but I’m getting flashbacks as it is. And with IWD:EE they’re all going to live again! What a terrifying prospect...
- Most Annoying IWD Enemy?123 votes
- Bombardier Beetle24.39%
- Blast Skeleton8.94%
- Yuan-ti Priest3.25%
- Snow Troll4.07%
- Frost Salamanders/Salamanders7.32%
- Remorhaz8.13%
- Crypt Thing2.44%
- Spectral Guard7.32%
- Stone Nuisance5.69%
- Other (Please Specify)28.46%
9
Comments
When you have no clue how to counter it, it gets old very fast
Wailing Virgins are up there as well, but at least you could just turn those.
She's the reason I got stuck on my longest playthrough... ;_;
I guess that makes them even more annoying.
Oh, and a few things I should note.
With Bombardier Beetles, one thing you can do is lure them into using their gas attack. They generally use it immediately after a character gets into its range, but if you can make the character move out of its range fast enough, they can avoid it for sure.
@DecoyCode
Yeah, I think you're talking about the Tarnished Sentries. They actually used to be my most hated enemy in the game. One amusing thing you can do is cast Protection from Normal Missiles, since they use normal throwing axes. Normally that spell sucks.
Nevertheless, the myconid caves in front of the gates of Dorn's Deep is one of my favourite areas in IWD.
That was by far the most annoying level in the dungeon. It was very much hit and run.