1st play through: evil or good?
mormegil27
Member Posts: 27
I'm into BG2 for the role playing aspect as much as anything else. I went through BG1 with a neutral char but evil party, and ported the char into 2. I've begun the game, and I've noticed a large amount of NPC party member interaction in conversations. I've also read elsewhere that the game was designed with a good slant in mind.
What I'd like to know is whether it is advisable to do an evil play through the 1st time if I'm into the RP aspect, or will I miss out on huge amounts of content (and even quests)? Since my char is neutral I can go either way with no loss.
What I'd like to know is whether it is advisable to do an evil play through the 1st time if I'm into the RP aspect, or will I miss out on huge amounts of content (and even quests)? Since my char is neutral I can go either way with no loss.
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Comments
Yes your BG2 NPCs really come alive with banters and injections, and most of them come with associated quests, though with the exception of EE characters, you don't need the characters in your party to do the quests.
Unlikely BG1, BG 2 does not significantly penalize you for walking a darker path, in terms of quest availability and rewards. Perhaps related to this, the evil NPCs in BG2 are not flat out stronger than their good/neutral counterparts (except Edwin, he is still the premier mage in any party) like in BG1.
The game does have a "good slant" to an extent, but in my opinion, unlike in BG1, a evil playthrough makes entirely logical sense, and the story has many scenarios where morality is grey, and/or the darker path is understandable.
*When I say evil, I mean the "power-hungry, devious and ruthless" type. Not the "I will murder everything that has hit points"-evil. If you do the latter, you will always miss quests, naturally.
That said, I've never managed an evil playthrough cos I can't stomach being a douche to all the good companions I've grown attached to, and I still think a good playthrough makes a bit more sense overall, especially for a first-timer.
Finally, seeing as this is your first playthrough, I recommend that you ask questions in the "New Players(NO SPOILERS!)" part of the forum. The grand plot of the BG games is a big part of the appeal of these games, it'd be a shame to have it spoiled by somebody being overly enthusiastic with answers. I can move this thread for you if you so wish. Just let me know.
There are some quests which would only motivate a good character.
There are some evil quests.
Some of the best NPC interactions occur between good and evil NPCs.
I'd argue that Neera overtakes Edwin in a non-no-reload game due to NRD.
I would also add that for a first timer, mixing good and evil might be a bad idea for a blind playthrough, because quite a few such pairings can result in intra-party violence...
Both Evil and Good have very good NPC.
If you want to make a Neutral playthrough though you might lack some good melee tanks so I'd advice you make one as PC.
Min-reload is fine and a Wild Mage in the party shouldn't noticeably change the amount of reloads.
Once you have various chaos shield effects stacked i understand that you get the point of being able to add all those level one casts to whatever spell level you like.
I get the most satisfaction out of a good playthrough, it feels rewarding to me. An evil playthrough is more a power-gamers choice, imo. The neutral characters are the most interesting, and they mix well with both evil and good characters.
Yes, the game tends towards good, especially if you want a consistent game coming out of the opening dungeon where your companions are:
Imoen (Good, but taken away)
Minsc (Good)
Jaheira (Neutral, but role-plays as good)
Yoshimo (Neutral, but honorable, so roleplay feels like good)
Also, the first NPC you are likely to recruit (in the quest right outside the first dungeon) is also good-aligned - so there is an early game push that will swing you to 'good' if you respond well to your environment.
If you have no attachment to your starting companions, then it is easier to veer away from good (although I will attempt good-aligned playthroughs taking none of these characters) - especially if they irk you. Boo can be so frustrating, and don't get me started on his pet ranger...
Evil NPCs aren't really that much stronger than the good ones. Sure, Edwyn is IMHO still the best caster you can get even if we consider Neera, but Viconia is nowhere near as usefull as Anomen as far as my playstyle is concerned. (That doesn't mean I like him. I HATE THAT GUY!).
You can definitelly play it through with both types of group, the good one just makes it a little bit easier for you, since you're not that much explore dependand.
I've been playing pen-n-paper since 1990, and usually was the DM to boot. So I am fairly versed in how the game works. The problem I foresee is that I currently hold 2 jobs in professional fields (one is very part time) plus family, it is extremely unlikely I will ever have time to play more than one play through - it will likely take me a couple of years. Thus I'm trying to pick my experience carefully.
My char is shadowdancer dual to Mage (at lvl 10), so I probably only want one more Mage. Edwin is obviously kick arse given his spell slot collection, but I'm not really looking to power game and I want a challenge. So maybe Neera. From your advice, perhaps the best course is to just go full role play and see what happens with party members naturally, just take who seems promising at the time regardless of alignment and see how the party evolves. The only downside is if someone permanent-leaves with desirable items, but I guess one can reload if it's a deal breaker. Probably a rare occurrence.
Good characters will leave if your rep gets to 1 or 2.
Rangers and Paladins can fall.
Blackguards can't fall (though I read about a bug that can make them fall though it sounds super rare).
Some NPCs will fight each other but the chance of this is reduced if the top portrait has high charisma (there's usually only one NPC that a given NPC will fight with).
I definitely promote just going with whoever and trying to keep each NPC around in BG2 long enough to do their personal quests and using that time to find out if you want them to have a permanent slot.
It is a minor issue though, so don't feel compelled to leave out characters you prefer for the above. The only character who has a big role in the core plot is Imoen. I do recommend that you keep her around.
There's so many good/fun NPCs but I'd say lean towards good and stick with the canon party for the first go through OR if you didn't have those characters in BG1 grab the companions you liked/used in that game if you meet them. As others have mentioned having an open "slot" in the party to rotate in and out characters to do their specific quests can be rewarding (XP and loot) and should give you a little taste of all of them. As with BG1 though, I find once you've invested some time in playing and leveling an NPC it's tough to let them go.