Ideal level
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Does anybody share the opinion that Baldur's Gate becomes less fun after level 13?
Level 13 seems like a good level for all the classes. Fighters achieve maximum number of attacks. Mages have access to level 6 spells. Thieves get X5 backstab. Clerics can fully heal.
After level 13 the only challenge in the game is enemies with immunities and special attacks like magic resistance, level drain and stat drain. These types of battles seem more frustrating than fun at times when your party is being annihilated by a special attacks like level drain which becomes simple to defeat once negative plane protection equipment is procured. Likewise mindflayers with stat drain become simple to defeat once immune summons like Mordenkenien's sword are available.
Which level and stage in Baldur's Gate do you think is most fun?
Level 13 seems like a good level for all the classes. Fighters achieve maximum number of attacks. Mages have access to level 6 spells. Thieves get X5 backstab. Clerics can fully heal.
After level 13 the only challenge in the game is enemies with immunities and special attacks like magic resistance, level drain and stat drain. These types of battles seem more frustrating than fun at times when your party is being annihilated by a special attacks like level drain which becomes simple to defeat once negative plane protection equipment is procured. Likewise mindflayers with stat drain become simple to defeat once immune summons like Mordenkenien's sword are available.
Which level and stage in Baldur's Gate do you think is most fun?
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Comments
Druids level 17 though - their HLA are not gamebreaking and I usually only play Druid to summon Sunnis. So that would be level 15 for one HLA and 16 for GES, then 17 to get a second spell for good measure - SoV is usually my choice.
I would also consider leveling Clerics to their second HLA. Implosion and Storm of Vengeance are fun spells and they don't break the game the same way Improved Alacrity does.
As for the favourite level and stage, I like the BG1 wild areas more than anything and because I usually do them at levels 2-6, I find them the most favourite.
If you multi-class it will postpone your character from reaching high level in each class so that can make the level up process more interesting and rewarding for a much longer period of time or until the mid point of TOB with triple classes.
Dual class can also allow you to fully enjoy the development of two classes separately and then feel the power at the end game. Dual and multi will change the way you play and allow synergy from the various classes to give new possibilities of power that are not the same as earning a new ability at level up but are equally if not more rewarding due to the requirement that you experiment and push the game limitations.
All in all, I agree that single class fighter types can be bland after you hit level 13 but there are plenty of ways to keep things interesting at high level if you mix and match classes and the loot in this game is very rewarding for any class at any level in my opinion.
Like bengoshi mentioned, SCS is also a way to mix up the gameplay and strategy. It will force you to use more of your abilities and items in interesting combinations which will expand the challenge and the general complexity of the gameplay. This will make any class push itself further and on insane it can make some classes down right nasty to play as.
Chapter 1-2 : Until level 11
Chapters 3-4: From level 12 to 13
Chapters 5-6: From level 14 to 17
ToB: 17-23
Reaching level 13 while doing stronghold quests makes the game too easy!
It's a question of when the game is ideally balanced and challenging to make it fun.
Sure, levels in themselves can "break" the balance making you OP, but if you actually have to struggle against a vamp because only one or two of your party has enchanted weapons +3, while the others have to act meatshields, it's more rewarding once you win. I wait a long time before buying OP gear like robe of vecna etc, so it feels really rewarding once I do buy it.
Edit: I also don't rush for items just because I know where to find them, like going directly for the Tuigan if I have a shortbow user. Instead I pick quests on random, often focusing alot on the party memners quests for a long time, and only using what I find and only buying spells instead of stealing them all.
At the end of the day, "difficulty" is very arbitrary and subjective, and greatly depends on how you play the game. I like the saying that the most OP ability in BG is "Rest", so rest restrictions, among other self-imposed limitations, is what keeps my games challenging and interesting even though I never moved beyond Core Rules.
It quite complex, however, to limit that power. No one tells us to do all quests before chapter 3 , and most players like the path of overpower.
But no doubt, somewhere in the early teens this game becomes less interesting. From a pure game mechanics perspective I think this game is at its best from mid-BG1 through mid-BG2.