In IWDEE it might be usable by Sorcerers, Dragon Disciples, and Wild Mages.
And you're meleeing with your single class caster because.... Sure, it effects slings, but I'd rather have the extra MR provided by Infusing or Necro Robes.
Because Chill Touch, Ghoul Touch, Lich Touch, Phantom Blade, and the epitome of badass: Black Blade of Disaster!
Having not played HoW, there may be some that I'm missing.
- the lack of (25 in BG, 17 in BG2) NPCs eager to join your party, that don't want to due to arbitrary party limits. - balancing and pacing allows for good story progression and action. - attention given to classes in order to make them more interesting and useful (bard songs, druid spells, etc.). - the setting feels like it is up to you, instead of you doing everything because everyone is lazy. - subtle writing and presentation of story keeps you looking for details, instead of skimming several pages of text for the little relevance they have to the story. - pacing fits story, no story pressure to act while the game has you run around doing side quests at a leisurely pace (mainly a BG2 gripe). - lack of a 'special' someone that everything revolves around and must be protected at all costs, mainly because the game said so.
overall IWD knows the limitations of the IE and works with it to create a well polished game, with a more narrow scope than BG. a lot of the stuff i'd kick to the curb to make BG better most people would be upset about losing, in IWD i don't think there is much that can be cut that wouldn't be a detriment to the game. to me that is the difference between IWD and PS:T from the BG games.
It's also easier to introduce content via DLC's into IWD with less fuss than the BG Saga. Heck, you could make a killing off of expacs that were in the same vein as TotL.
IWD, by it's nature of not having a main character and being a party driven dungeon delve of a game, has a much better Multiplayer base. And if Multiplayer has proven anything over the years, it's that given the right changes and improvements, it can make a great game into a legendary game. (I'm looking at you, Goldeneye.)
I really like that mage robe that gives you really good strength but can only be worn by pure mages. It's fun to play as a pure mage and pretend to be a fighter/mage!
HoW Staff: "You don't REALLY want those weapons that can stun giants and friggin' Marilith demons, do you? No, of course not! Here's a mage robe with 18/99 Str for single class mages instead... because dual classing at 2-9 of fighter is too hard!"
I also love the ability to create my own party. It would be nice if you could maybe be able to write in dialog for them so you could create your own story line not just in your head. I suppose the game's not really about that though. The downside to creating your own party is that I have created so many parties for it, I have rarely beat the game...
Comments
Having not played HoW, there may be some that I'm missing.
- balancing and pacing allows for good story progression and action.
- attention given to classes in order to make them more interesting and useful (bard songs, druid spells, etc.).
- the setting feels like it is up to you, instead of you doing everything because everyone is lazy.
- subtle writing and presentation of story keeps you looking for details, instead of skimming several pages of text for the little relevance they have to the story.
- pacing fits story, no story pressure to act while the game has you run around doing side quests at a leisurely pace (mainly a BG2 gripe).
- lack of a 'special' someone that everything revolves around and must be protected at all costs, mainly because the game said so.
overall IWD knows the limitations of the IE and works with it to create a well polished game, with a more narrow scope than BG. a lot of the stuff i'd kick to the curb to make BG better most people would be upset about losing, in IWD i don't think there is much that can be cut that wouldn't be a detriment to the game. to me that is the difference between IWD and PS:T from the BG games.
IWD, by it's nature of not having a main character and being a party driven dungeon delve of a game, has a much better Multiplayer base. And if Multiplayer has proven anything over the years, it's that given the right changes and improvements, it can make a great game into a legendary game. (I'm looking at you, Goldeneye.)
Now that they've been combined with all the BG2EE spells, my mage's spellbook is crammed with stuff, and that's sort of nice.