Enhanced Edition - New spells, kits and weapons influence on game balance

baron_pampa

Hello and welcome! This is my first post: ).
I would like to ask those of you, who have played both classic and enhanced editions of Icewind dale about the game balance. Does the introduction of new features(i.e.spells and items) have a severe influence on the difficulty level? The former edition was fun, because it was challenging. However, the sorcerer class seems to be gamebreaking on it's own, without mentioning many other ideas I have. Waiting for extensive replies and heated discussion!

lunar

Hi. Welcome to forums, have fun. :-)

I agree that a sorc can break the game, if you play on higher difficulties and go solo, you will gain too much xp and be casting 6th 7th spells before the game intends you to do so. With mages you are restrained by the rarity of scolls found, at least.

Even some lower bg2 ported spells are potent. Protection from normal weapons spell is very powerful in iwd, many enemies use regular weapons. With this spell you are immune to every shadowed orc, goblin and ogre in the Severed Hand, for example.

In HoF, with sequencers, contingencies and time stop, sorcerer definitely has many advantages. I haven't tried out this in hof mode, though.

FinneousPJ

Short answer, if you want to break the game, you can. Of course that's also true in the original. Now there are just more ways to do it

Zyzzogeton

There are some new ways to break the game.

But that's all they are, new ways to cheese in addition to old ways of cheesing.

If you want challenge, playing any IWD or BG game, Enhanced Edition or not, without any self imposed limits is really not the place to find it.

Wowo

Just started a 2 character HoF run from level 1 ... Should be challenging enough.

Also have a multiplayer 2 character insane run in progress which is challenging and very fun with our characters (Avenger Druid and Swashbuckler 5/Mage).

Jarrakul

It remains plenty challenging unless you seriously dedicate yourself to breaking it. If you do that, it cracks open like an egg.

Pecker

Yeah, a lot of the new stuff is very powerful, but once you know the system well enough the game becomes very easy if you want it to be, with or without the new stuff.

If you're looking for a fun challenge try playing the game a different way. Try a solo run, or some ridiculous party composition, and try not rerolling or redistributing your stats at all. I'm in the middle of a play through in which I've randomized everything, including classes, races, stats, weapon proficiencies, etc and I'm having a lot of fun with it. Just try something new.

JuliusBorisov

The enhanced edition is fun too, because it's nearly as challenging as the vanilla version. To me, it's very fun to try BG's classes and kits, spells and abilities in IWD.

It doesn't make the game easier for me, it makes the game a little bit different and this difference is the core of why I like IWDEE.

hexxactly

Sorcerer isn't gamebreaking in IWDEE. In fact sorcerer is worse than vanilla mage, bard, non-kitted dualed/multi mages imo. Scrolls are very limited in IWDEE. You have to chose your spells extremely wisely as a sorcerer. I don't see much/any bonus in sorcerers in IWDEE, but I am giving it a go on a new run with a Dragon Disciple in group.

baron_pampa

I haven't actually tried it, but wizards in IWD were severly handicapped due to the scarce amounts of scrolls placed in carefully chosen locations, so you couldn't get many powerful spells early. On the other hand, sorcerers get they spells as they level - so in a small party they will take a huge advantage from faster leveling, an advantage which the wizard class is denied. As i think about it, it would be fun to try three person party of, i.e.sorcerer, fighter/thief and a cleric. A combination of high level spells early+that awesome undead banishing. Well, maybe I'll just try the random challenge...

elminster

hexxactly said:

Sorcerer isn't gamebreaking in IWDEE. In fact sorcerer is worse than vanilla mage, bard, non-kitted dualed/multi mages imo. Scrolls are very limited in IWDEE. You have to chose your spells extremely wisely as a sorcerer. I don't see much/any bonus in sorcerers in IWDEE, but I am giving it a go on a new run with a Dragon Disciple in group.

Sorcerer being able to get Glitterdust so early (mages can't get it until Lonelywood) is part of the reason they are so effective. In main campaign areas (non-HoF) its a very effective spell (its just Heart of Winter areas where its not very reliable).