Heart of Fury mode with a solo character from level 1 ?

Altair

Hi all,
Back in the days, I had managed to beat the game on Heart of Fury mode with a party of six starting at level 1. That was a lot of fun, although quite a challenge, especially at the very beginning... Now with the upcoming Icewind Dale EE, I would like to try the same with a solo character. Has any of you done it? Which character would you advise? I was thinking Fighter/Mage/Thief, any other suggestions?
Thanks!
Altair

kcwise

That sounds like a tough challenge. Folks around here seem to like the summon spells for HoF, since those creatures are boosted as well.

JuliusBorisov

Well, a F/M/T is the strongest single character in BG and I'm sure it's the same for IWDEE.

And with the Heart of Fury mode a F/M/T will be eventually even more powerful due to an access to the high-level mage spells.

So if you really want to beat the Heart of Fury mode starting at level 1 with one character, I'd hugely advice a F/M/T.

KingGhidorah

Ive done it in iwd2 with a sorceror. Good fun but one mayor complication is that with iwd2's 3rd edition rules, level 1 spells contain summoning spells. In iwd1 your casters cant summon anything till at least level 5 (totemic druid excluded).

Still, i recommend something that auto gains spells without learning from scrolls (druid, cleric, sorc).

KingGhidorah

@bengoshi‌
Except that his level progressiob will be way faster then the amount of scrolls available in shops or as loot.
So you can have a lvl12 mage that has only found lvl 1/2 spell scrolls... This can be the bane of a solo hof char (unless ee changes this availability)

JuliusBorisov

A sorcerer can be a good choice too

@KingGhidorah‌

A F/M/T is a very diverse character, if you don't have enough spells, you can use him basically as a F/T.

And even 1/2 level spell scrolls can be handy for him: Armor, Shield, Spook, Magic Missile, Chromatic orb, Web, Mirror Image, Blur, Glitterdust to name only a few. All of them can help greately. A blurred, mirror-imaged, shielded and armored F/T is a tough guy already.

Jarrakul

Yeah, don't underestimate Mirror Image. Memorize a bunch of those and rest liberally, and damage will mostly be a thing that happens to other people.

Now, I'm not really in a position to say whether you can do it with one character, but if you can do it with a full party I would think it'd be possible for a single F/M/T. Just, you know, probably start specialized in a ranged weapon. Somehow I get the feeling you're gonna need to kite.

KingGhidorah

@bengoshi‌
You' re right, but still i wonder how a FMT without high level spells can handle a Vale filled with 100+ HP skeletons who are immune to backstab.

But hey, the game can be solo'ed with any class even in HoF mode and more kudos to anyone who can pull this feat off.

Altair

Thanks for your advices guys! Can't wait for the release...

Shyn

Maybe its just me, but im inclined to think that a F/M/C might do better? Is backstab really that much of an asset when a lot of enemies are immune? You get knock for locks and sanctuary! and more summons....

Pibaro

F/M/C is indeed better in fihgting enemies.
The only real missing abilities is set traps (and remove traps occasionally).
But I totally agree. Where's the point in being a mage if you can't cast spells?
Where's the point in being a F/M/C without stoneskin until you reach 20th mage level?
I don't know, it surely is something to try.

DreadKhan

While I would say outright Sorcerer is the best solo for BG, IWD has MASSIVE hordes, and those hordes are much tougher relatively than those in BG. Every IWD area is like Sendai's enclave, only you can't always rest, so you'd need many Wish casts, so you'll get bogged down like crazy. Obviously you can just invisible past some areas (you arent gonna solo 3 Remorhaz in HoF, I suspect.), but this will make it harder to hit the cap, and you will want to hit the cap!

I think it might be doable with a C/I (if you want, C/M instead) making good use of Animate Dead Skeleton Warriors where applicable, and I expect you'll be able to turn some undead. There are TONS of undead in IWD and HoF, so cleric is handy. I suggest cheesing hardcore and checking the alignment of what summons you plan to rely on... if you match alignments, Righteous Wrath of the Faithful is a gargantuan buff. Biggest flaw in the 2 class multi will be getting scrolls for your higher level slots.

Now, this depends a bit on the cap they use... is it level or XP? If level, you could consider going whole hog and running a FMC, you'll be gaining levels like crazy anyways. You wont get the +3 Helm, but more fighter abilities will be handy, and cleric weapons are very strong in IWD. HOF enemies are hard to just brute force through solo, and your Turn Undead will be poorer, maybe too poor?

FMT is good too, but you can't turn, and HP levels are so high for enemies I don't think thief will work as well as in BG. 500hp kills anything in BG basicly, but HoF??

Altair

Good points... The FMC does have the advantage of more summons/turn undead/healing, while the FMT benefits from the thief abilities (sneaking/backstab/disarm traps in particular) and more weapons (such as bows and swords)... tough choice!

Jarrakul

The FMT has better ranged capabilities (bows > slings in general), can disarm traps, and can set traps (which will be sick, because it doesn't get in the way of doing things in combat). The FMC gets more summons and healing. Not sure if Turn Undead will be helpful. How easily do HOW enemies get turned?

Shyn

I just made a F/M/C in IWD vanilla, and I was rocking two pips in bows... so that still makes on par with the F/M/T on the ranged capability department. I just think more summons and turning will give you a HUGE edge.

Jarrakul

Really? I'm... quite confident FMCs aren't supposed to be able to use bows. I suspect that won't apply in EE.

I do agree that more summons is awesome, but so are thief traps. As for turn undead, it really depends on how good turn undead is on HoF, which I simply don't know.

OlvynChuru

Recently I've been soloing the game on Insane with a necromancer, but I don't know how well it would do in HoF. It was tough not having Mirror Image, but what I did have was Spirit Armor. Using that spell, I could get -12 AC during chapter 2 (10 AC, -4 from dexterity, -9 from Spirit Armor, -2 from Robe of Enfusing (note that that robe's AC bonus does not count as an armor bonus), -3 from Blur, and a total of -4 from Black Wolf Talisman, Boots of the Fox, Mantle of the Coming Storm and Mage Dagger +2). By the time I finished the Severed Hand I was incredibly powerful, and by the time I got up to Lower Dorn's Deep I was almost level 30. The key is that certain spells don't stop getting better as you level up. If a level 30 cleric casts Draw Upon Holy Might, he/she gets +10 strength, dexterity and constitution. Otiluke's Freezing Sphere from a level 30 mage deals 90-180 damage.

Drayen

With how broken summons are.. it doesnt really sound like its that fun to do HoF abusing them... I hope they'll fix summons for HoF so they don't scale.

DreadKhan

Jarrakul said:

Really? I'm... quite confident FMCs aren't supposed to be able to use bows. I suspect that won't apply in EE.

I do agree that more summons is awesome, but so are thief traps. As for turn undead, it really depends on how good turn undead is on HoF, which I simply don't know.

Pretty sure clerics can't use bows, but slings will get yhe str to damage boost, which is substantial. We might even see some new slings for EE.

For traps though, I doubt they'll be worth the time in HoF. too many HP! Fireball traps will be handy though.

Eh, in vanilla there isnt the 20th lvl caster cap? This will likely get the nerf. In HoF, you likely want to use lots of summons, and lots of status effect spells, and any mind affecters you have handy. If you can dominate and buff an enemy AND debuff the other enemies (ie Slow), the fight will be easier. Righteous Wrath is huge though, a devestating buff.

Shyn

You can be sure about clerics not using bows all you want. But I have a IWD+HoW+TotL installed WITHOUT mods... and the F/M/C I created last night has 2 pips in bows and can use them no problem.

Considering the fact they will follow the IWD ruleset for virtually everything in the EE. I am pretty sure any multiclass with cleric in it can use bows and bladed weapons just like my F/M/C. Which I think is a really nice thing, and opens possibilities when EE arrives.

Fardragon

Pretty sure my IWD multiclassed clerics worked the same as in BG. IWD2 clerics could use bows and edged weapons.

Shyn

Woops, you are completely right... I forgot all about the IWD tweak pack.

Loosen Item Restrictions for Multi- and Dual-class Clerics and Druids
Multi- and dual-class druids and clerics retain their restrictions on items, i.e. a mage-cleric still can not use daggers and a fighter-druid can not use plate armor. This component will open up more items for druid and cleric multi- and dual-classes by allowing them to use all items available to both classes.

My bad.

But my point still stands, I'd prefer the extra summons.

SionIV

If summons didn't scale with HoF they would be useless.

It's not a question if they should scale or not, it's about how much they should scale, and right now they are a little too good.

lunar

Charm person spell could make things easier for a lvl 1 pc in HoF. Charm the super goblin and have it attack its friends while you attack with ranged weapons too.

Summon elemental spells would make a very big portion of the game's first chapters a breeze. Because goblins and orcs and many skeletons don't have magical weapons and can not hurt them. At all. Thus, a sorcerer (assuming iwd:ee can use bg2 kits and classes) can use charm person and dire charm spells till he gets to pick lvl 5 spells. He And with hof experience rewards he should get to them in no time, he does not need scrolls too, he can be summoning minor fire elementals at lvl 10 near Kuldahar or such, making things very easy indeed. (Charm person, mirror image, web and monster summoning spells should help along the way)

Jarrakul

DreadKhan said:

Pretty sure clerics can't use bows, but slings will get yhe str to damage boost, which is substantial. We might even see some new slings for EE.

For traps though, I doubt they'll be worth the time in HoF. too many HP! Fireball traps will be handy though.

The strength bonus thing is a big advantage, especially if you can get your strength to 19 or above (harder in IWD than in BG2, but by no means impossible, and frankly easy for a buffed cleric). That's why I specified that bows *generally* outperform slings. They don't always. If the magic sling/bullet selection in IWD was as nuts as the magic bow/arrow selection, I might well rethink that statement.

As for traps, remember that a lot of the higher-level ones are save-or-die in addition to doing a good chunk of damage. And then with HLAs you get spike trap and time trap, which are both pretty nuts. I wouldn't underestimate traps.

Fardragon

IWDEE has a secret weapon: the half orc slinger.

OlvynChuru

A F/M/C is ridiculously good for solo in Icewind Dale, easily better than a F/M/T because clerics are really good at high level in this game. Once you get level 6 cleric spells you can cast Sanctuary, go near an enemy and cast Blade Barrier and that doesn't break the sanctuary. Once you get level 7 spells you get Symbol of Hopelessness which basically means you win every non-undead battle automatically. Of course, clerics are really good against undead anyway.